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Emanuel Lasker
Lasker 
 

Number of games in database: 1,541
Years covered: 1887 to 1940
Overall record: +384 -84 =176 (73.3%)*
   * Overall winning percentage = (wins+draws/2) / total games in the database. 897 exhibition games, blitz/rapid, odds games, etc. are excluded from this statistic.

MOST PLAYED OPENINGS
With the White pieces:
 Ruy Lopez (230) 
    C68 C62 C66 C67 C64
 French Defense (115) 
    C11 C12 C13 C01 C10
 French (80) 
    C11 C12 C13 C10 C00
 King's Gambit Accepted (80) 
    C39 C33 C38 C35 C37
 Sicilian (60) 
    B45 B32 B30 B40 B20
 King's Gambit Declined (58) 
    C30 C31 C32
With the Black pieces:
 Ruy Lopez (129) 
    C65 C67 C66 C68 C77
 Orthodox Defense (51) 
    D50 D63 D52 D60 D53
 Giuoco Piano (42) 
    C50 C53 C54
 Sicilian (32) 
    B32 B45 B73 B83 B30
 Queen's Pawn Game (32) 
    D00 D05 D02 D04 A46
 Queen's Gambit Declined (21) 
    D37 D35 D30 D39 D06
Repertoire Explorer

NOTABLE GAMES: [what is this?]
   Lasker vs J Bauer, 1889 1-0
   Lasker vs Capablanca, 1914 1-0
   Pillsbury vs Lasker, 1896 0-1
   Marshall vs Lasker, 1907 0-1
   Lasker vs W E Napier, 1904 1-0
   Euwe vs Lasker, 1934 0-1
   Reti vs Lasker, 1924 0-1
   Lasker vs Schlechter, 1910 1-0
   M Porges vs Lasker, 1896 0-1
   Tarrasch vs Lasker, 1908 0-1

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: [what is this?]
   Steinitz - Lasker World Championship Match (1894)
   Lasker - Steinitz World Championship Rematch (1896)
   Lasker - Marshall World Championship Match (1907)
   Lasker - Tarrasch World Championship Match (1908)
   Lasker - Janowski World Championship Match (1910)
   Lasker - Schlechter World Championship Match (1910)
   Lasker - Capablanca World Championship Match (1921)

NOTABLE TOURNAMENTS: [what is this?]
   Impromptu International Congress, New York (1893)
   Lasker - Bird (1890)
   London (1899)
   St. Petersburg Quadrangular 1895/96 (1895)
   Nuremberg (1896)
   Paris (1900)
   Lasker - Janowski (1909)
   St. Petersburg (1914)
   New York (1924)
   Maehrisch-Ostrau (1923)
   St. Petersburg (1909)
   Moscow (1925)
   Hastings (1895)
   Cambridge Springs (1904)
   Zuerich (1934)

GAME COLLECTIONS: [what is this?]
   -ER Lasker by fredthebear
   -ER Lasker by rpn4
   Emanuel Lasker Collection by hrannar
   Emanuel Lasker Collection by rpn4
   Match Lasker! by amadeus
   Match Lasker! by docjan
   The Unknown Emanuel Lasker by MissScarlett
   The Lion King by chocobonbon
   Treasure's Ark by Gottschalk
   Why Lasker Matters (Soltis) by PassedPawnDuo
   Why Lasker Matters (Soltis) by Qindarka
   Why Lasker Matters by Andrew Soltis by PassedPawnDuo
   Why Lasker Matters by Andrew Soltis by StoppedClock
   Why Lasker Matters by Edwin Meijer

GAMES ANNOTATED BY LASKER: [what is this?]
   Rubinstein vs Lasker, 1909
   Rubinstein vs Salwe, 1908
   Spielmann vs Rubinstein, 1909
   Tartakower vs Schlechter, 1909
   Lasker vs Teichmann, 1909
   >> 81 GAMES ANNOTATED BY LASKER


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EMANUEL LASKER
(born Dec-24-1868, died Jan-11-1941, 72 years old) Germany

[what is this?]

Emanuel Lasker was the second official World Chess Champion, reigning for a record 27 years after he defeated the first World Champion, Wilhelm Steinitz, in 1894.

Statistician Jeff Sonas of Chessmetrics writes, "if you look across players' entire careers, there is a significant amount of statistical evidence to support the claim that Emanuel Lasker was, in fact, the most dominant player of all time." http://en.chessbase.com/post/the-gr... By Sonas' reckoning, Lasker was the No. 1 player in the world for a total of 24.3 years between 1890 and 1926. Only Kasparov (21.9 years) even approaches this.

Background

Lasker was born in what was then Berlinchen (literally "little Berlin") in Prussia, and which is now Barlinek in Poland. In 1880, he went to school in Berlin, where he lived with his older brother Berthold Lasker, who was studying medicine, and who taught him how to play chess. By Chessmetrics' analysis, Berthold was one of the world's top ten players in the early 1890s.

Tournaments

Soon after Lasker obtained his abitur in Landsberg an der Warthe, now a Polish town named Gorzow Wielkopolski, the teenager's first tournament success came when he won the Café Kaiserhof's annual Winter tournament 1888/89, winning all 20 games. Soon afterwards, he tied with Emil von Feyerfeil with 12/15 (+11 -2 =2) at the second division tournament of the sixth DSB Congress in Breslau, defeating von Feyerfeil in the one game play-off.* Also in 1889, he came second with 6/8 (+5 -1 =2) behind Amos Burn at the Amsterdam "A" (stronger) tournament, ahead of James Mason and Isidor Gunsberg, two of the strongest players of that time. In 1890 he finished third in Graz behind Gyula Makovetz and Johann Hermann Bauer, then shared first prize with his brother Berthold in a tournament in Berlin. In spring 1892, he won two tournaments in London, the second and stronger of these without losing a game. At New York 1893, he won all thirteen games, one of a small number of significant tournaments in history in which a player achieved a perfect score. Wikipedia article: List of world records in chess#Perfect tournament and match scores

After Lasker won the title, he answered his critics who considered that the title match was by an unproven player against an aging champion by being on the leader board in every tournament before World War I, including wins at St Petersburg in 1895-96, Nurenberg 1896, London 1899, Paris 1900 ahead of Harry Nelson Pillsbury (by two points with a score of +14 −1 =1), Trenton Falls 1906, and St Petersburg in 1914. He also came 3rd at Hastings 1895 (this relatively poor result possibly occurring during convalescence after nearly dying from typhoid fever), 2nd at Cambridge Springs in 1904, and =1st at the Chigorin Memorial tournament in St Petersburg in 1909. In 1918, a few months after the war, Lasker won a quadrangular tournament in Berlin against Akiba Rubinstein, Carl Schlechter and Siegbert Tarrasch.

After he lost the title in 1921, Lasker remained in the top rank of players, winning at Maehrisch-Ostrau (1923) ahead of Richard Reti, Ernst Gruenfeld, Alexey Selezniev, Savielly Tartakower, and Max Euwe. His last tournament win was at New York 1924, where he scored 80% and finished 1.5 points ahead of Jose Raul Capablanca, followed by Alexander Alekhine and Frank Marshall. In 1925, he came 2nd at Moscow behind Efim Bogoljubov and ahead of Capablanca, Marshall, Tartakower, and Carlos Torre Repetto. There followed a long hiatus from chess caused by his intention to retire from the game, but he re-emerged in top-class chess in 1934, placing 5th in Zurich behind Alekhine, Euwe, Salomon Flohr and Bogoljubow and ahead of Ossip Bernstein, Aron Nimzowitsch, and Gideon Stahlberg. In Moscow in 1935, Lasker finished in an undefeated third place, a half point behind Mikhail Botvinnik and Flohr and ahead of Capablanca, Rudolf Spielmann, unknown player, Grigory Levenfish, Andre Lilienthal, and Viacheslav Ragozin. Reuben Fine hailed the 66-year-old Lasker's performance as "a biological miracle". In 1936, Lasker placed 6th in Moscow and finished his career later that year at Nottingham when he came =7th with 8.5/14 (+6 -3 =5), his last-round game being the following stylish win: Lasker vs C H Alexander, 1936.

Matches

Non-title matches 1889 saw his long career in match play commence, one which only ceased upon relinquishing his title in 1921. He won nearly of his matches, apart from a few drawn mini-matches, including a drawn one-game play-off match against his brother Berthold in Berlin in 1890, losing only exhibition matches with Mikhail Chigorin, Carl Schlechter and Marshall, and a knight-odds match against Nellie Showalter, Jackson Showalter's wife. In 1889, he defeated Curt von Bardeleben (+1 =2) and in 1889-90 he beat Jacques Mieses (+5 =3). In 1890, he defeated Henry Bird (+7 -2 =3) and Nicholas Theodore Miniati (+3 =2 -0), and in 1891 he beat Francis Joseph Lee (+1 =1) and Berthold Englisch (+2 =3). 1892 and 1893 saw Lasker getting into his stride into the lead up to his title match with Steinitz, beating Bird a second time (5-0) Lasker - Bird (1892) , Joseph Henry Blackburne (+6 =4), Jackson Whipps Showalter (+6 -2 =2) and Celso Golmayo Zupide (+2 =1). In 1892, Lasker toured and played a series of mini-matches against leading players in the Manhattan, Brooklyn and Franklin Chess Clubs. At the Manhattan Chess Club, he played a series of three-game matches, defeating James Moore Hanham, Gustave Simonson, David Graham Baird, Charles B Isaacson, Albert Hodges, Eugene Delmar, John S Ryan and John Washington Baird of the 24 games he played against these players he won 21, losing one to Hodges and drawing one each with Simonson and Delmar. At the Brooklyn Chess Club, Lasker played two mini-matches of two games each, winning each game against Abel Edward Blackmar and William M De Visser, and drew the first game of an unfinished match against Philip Richardson. Lasker finished 1892 at the Franklin Chess Club by playing 5 mini-matches of two games each against its leading players, winning every game against Dion Martinez, Alfred K Robinson, unknown player and Hermann G Voigt and drawing a match (+1 -1) with Walter Penn Shipley. Shipley offered cash bonuses if he could stipulate the openings and taking up the challenge, Lasker played the Two Knight's Defense and won in 38 moves, while in the second game, Shipley won as Black in 24 moves against Lasker playing the White end of a Vienna Gambit, Steinitz variation (Opening Explorer). Shipley, who counted both Lasker and Steinitz as his friends, was instrumental in arranging the Philadelphia leg of the Lasker-Steinitz match, that being games 9, 10 and 11. 29 years later, Shipley was also the referee of Lasker's title match with Capablanca. In 1892-3, Lasker also played and won some other matches against lesser players including Andres Clemente Vazquez (3-0), A Ponce (first name Albert) (2-0) and Alfred K Ettlinger (5-0). Also in 1893, Mrs. Nellie Showalter, wife of Jackson Showalter and one of the leading women players in the USA, defeated Lasker 5-2 in a match receiving Knight odds.

These matches pushed Lasker to the forefront of chess, and after being refused a match by Tarrasch, he defeated Steinitz for the world title in 1894 after spreadeagling the field at New York 1893. While he was World Champion, Lasker played some non-title matches, the earliest of which was a six-game exhibition match against Chigorin in 1903 which he lost 2.5-3.5 (+1 -2 =3); the match was intended as a rigorous test of the Rice Gambit, which was the stipulated opening in each game. In the midst of his four title defenses that were held between 1907 and 1910, Lasker played and won what appears to have been a short training match against Abraham Speijer (+2 =1) in 1908. Also in 1908, he played another Rice Gambit-testing match, this time against Schlechter, again losing, this time by 1-4 (+0 =2 -3), apparently prompting a rethink of the Rice Gambit as a viable weapon.** In 1909 he drew a short match (2 wins 2 losses) against David Janowski and several months later they played a longer match that Lasker easily won (7 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss). Lasker accepted a return match and they played a title match in 1910 (details below). In 1914, he drew a 2 game exhibition match against Bernstein (+1 -1) and in 1916, he defeated Tarrasch in another, clearly non-title, match by 5.5-0.5. After Lasker lost his title in 1921, he is not known to have played another match until he lost a two-game exhibition match (=1 -1) against Marshall in 1940, a few months before he died. A match between Dr. Lasker and Dr. Vidmar had been planned for 1925, but it did not eventuate.***

World Championship matches The Steinitz - Lasker World Championship Match (1894) was played in New York, Philadelphia, and Montreal. Lasker won with 10 wins, 5 losses and 4 draws. Lasker also won the Lasker - Steinitz World Championship Rematch (1896), played in Moscow, with 10 wins, 2 losses, and 5 draws. At one stage when Rezso Charousek ‘s star was in the ascendant, Lasker was convinced he would eventually play a title match with the Hungarian master; unfortunately, Charousek died from tuberculosis in 1900, aged 26, before this could happen. As it turned out, he did not play another World Championship for 11 years until the Lasker - Marshall World Championship Match (1907), which was played in New York, Philadelphia, Washington, Baltimore, Chicago, Memphis. Lasker won this easily, remaining undefeated with 8 wins and 7 draws.

After a prolonged period of somewhat strained relations due to Tarrasch's refusal of Lasker's offer for a match, Lasker accepted Tarrasch's challenge for the title, and the Lasker - Tarrasch World Championship Match (1908) was played in Düsseldorf and Munich, with Lasker winning with 8 wins 3 losses and five draws. In 1910, Lasker came close to losing his title when he was trailing by a full point at the tenth and last game of the Lasker - Schlechter World Championship Match (1910) (the match being played in Vienna and Berlin); Schlechter held the advantage and could have drawn the game with ease on several occasions, however, he pursued a win, ultimately blundering a Queen endgame to relinquish his match lead and allow Lasker to retain the title. Some months later, the Lasker - Janowski World Championship Match (1910) - played in Berlin - was Lasker's final successful defense of his title, winning with 8 wins and 3 draws.

In 1912 Lasker and Rubinstein, agreed to play a World Championship match in the fall of 1914 but the match was cancelled when World War I broke out. The war delayed all further title match negotiations until Lasker finally relinquished his title upon resigning from the Lasker - Capablanca World Championship Match (1921) in Havana while trailing by four games.

Life, legacy and testimonials

Lasker's extended absences from chess were due to his pursuit of other activities, including mathematics and philosophy. He spent the last years of the 19th century writing his doctorate. Between 1902 and 1907, he played only at Cambridge Springs, using his time in the US. It was during this period that he introduced the notion of a primary ideal, which corresponds to an irreducible variety and plays a role similar to prime powers in the prime decomposition of an integer. He proved the primary decomposition theorem for an ideal of a polynomial ring in terms of primary ideals in a paper Zur Theorie der Moduln und Ideale published in volume 60 of Mathematische Annalen in 1905. A commutative ring R is now called a 'Lasker ring' if every ideal of R can be represented as an intersection of a finite number of primary ideals. Lasker's results on the decomposition of ideals into primary ideals was the foundation on which Emmy Noether built an abstract theory which developed ring theory into a major mathematical topic and provided the foundations of modern algebraic geometry. Noether's Idealtheorie in Ringbereichen (1921) was of fundamental importance in the development of modern algebra, generalising Lasker's results by giving the decomposition of ideals into intersections of primary ideals in any commutative ring with ascending chain condition.****

After Lasker lost his title, he spent a considerable amount of time playing bridge and intended to retire. However, he returned to chess in the mid-thirties as he needed to raise money after the Nazis had confiscated his properties and life savings. After the tournament in Moscow in 1936, the Laskers were encouraged to stay on and Emanuel accepted an invitation to become a member of the Moscow Academy of Science to pursue his mathematical studies, with both he and his wife, Martha, taking up permanent residence in Moscow. At this time, he also renounced his German citizenship and took on Soviet citizenship. Although Stalin's purges prompted the Laskers to migrate to the USA in 1937, it is unclear whether they ever renounced their Soviet citizenship.

Lasker was friends with Albert Einstein who wrote the introduction to the posthumous biography Emanuel Lasker, The Life of a Chess Master by Dr. Jacques Hannak (1952), writing: Emanuel Lasker was undoubtedly one of the most interesting people I came to know in my later years. We must be thankful to those who have penned the story of his life for this and succeeding generations. For there are few men who have had a warm interest in all the great human problems and at the same time kept their personality so uniquely independent.

Lasker published several chess books but as he was also a mathematician, games theorist, philosopher and even playwright, he published books in all these fields, except for the play which was performed on only one occasion. As a youth, his parents had recognised his potential and sent him to study in Berlin where he first learned to play serious chess. After he graduated from high school, he studied mathematics and philosophy at the universities in Berlin, Göttingen and Heidelberg. Lasker died in the Mount Sinai Hospital, New York in 1941, aged 72, and was buried in the Beth Olom Cemetery in Queens. He was survived by his wife and his sister, Lotta. On May 6, 2008, Dr. Lasker was among the first 40 German sportsmen to be elected into the "Hall of Fame des Deutschen Sports".

******

"It is not possible to learn much from him. One can only stand and wonder." - <Max Euwe> Euwe lost all three of his games against Lasker, the most lopsided result between any two world champions.

"My chess hero" - <Viktor Korchnoi>

"The greatest of the champions was, of course, Emanuel Lasker" - <Mikhail Tal>

"Lies and hypocrisy do not survive for long on the chessboard. The creative combination lies bare the presumption of a lie, while the merciless fact, culminating in a checkmate, contradicts the hypocrite." – <Emanuel Lasker>

*******

* E von Feyerfeil vs Lasker, 1889** http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/... *** User: Karpova: Emanuel Lasker (kibitz #1449)

Notes Lasker played on the following consultation chess teams Em. Lasker / MacDonnell, Lasker / Taubenhaus, Em. Lasker / Maroczy, Em. Lasker / I Rice, Em. Lasker / Barasz / Breyer, Lasker / Pillsbury, Lasker / Chigorin / Marshall / Teichmann, Emanuel Lasker / William Ward-Higgs, Emanuel Lasker / Heinrich Wolf, Emanuel Lasker / Hermann Keidanski & Em. Lasker / L Lasek.

Wikipedia article: Emanuel Lasker
http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail...

Last updated: 2023-04-08 21:10:05

Try our new games table.

 page 1 of 62; games 1-25 of 1,541  PGN Download
Game  ResultMoves YearEvent/LocaleOpening
1. Lasker vs NN 1-0101887Odds game000 Chess variants
2. NN vs Lasker  0-1331889SimulC41 Philidor Defense
3. A Reif vs Lasker 0-1131889Breslau Hauptturnier AA02 Bird's Opening
4. V Tietz vs Lasker 0-1401889Breslau Hauptturnier AC79 Ruy Lopez, Steinitz Defense Deferred
5. H Seger vs Lasker 0-1361889Hauptturnier Winners' GroupD30 Queen's Gambit Declined
6. Lasker vs Lipke 1-0471889Hauptturnier Winners' GroupC26 Vienna
7. L Mabillis vs Lasker 0-1241889Hauptturnier Winners' GroupC60 Ruy Lopez
8. E von Feyerfeil vs Lasker 1-0421889Hauptturnier Winners' GroupC30 King's Gambit Declined
9. E von Feyerfeil vs Lasker 0-1471889Hauptturnier play-offD00 Queen's Pawn Game
10. Lasker vs J Bauer 1-0381889AmsterdamA03 Bird's Opening
11. Lasker vs A van Foreest 1-0501889AmsterdamA04 Reti Opening
12. R Loman vs Lasker 0-1221889AmsterdamC79 Ruy Lopez, Steinitz Defense Deferred
13. L van Vliet vs Lasker 1-0241889AmsterdamC41 Philidor Defense
14. R Leather vs Lasker 0-1561889AmsterdamA07 King's Indian Attack
15. Gunsberg vs Lasker 0-1351889AmsterdamC65 Ruy Lopez, Berlin Defense
16. Lasker vs Mason ½-½381889AmsterdamC46 Three Knights
17. Lasker vs S Polner 0-1211889Casual gameC26 Vienna
18. Lasker vs Burn ½-½151889AmsterdamC01 French, Exchange
19. J Mieses vs Lasker 0-1281889Casual gameA07 King's Indian Attack
20. von Bardeleben vs Lasker ½-½271889Lasker - Bardeleben mD50 Queen's Gambit Declined
21. Lasker vs von Bardeleben 1-0471889Lasker - Bardeleben mB06 Robatsch
22. von Bardeleben vs Lasker 1-0501889Lasker - Bardeleben mC26 Vienna
23. Lasker vs J Mieses 1-0371889Lasker - Mieses 1889/90A80 Dutch
24. J Mieses vs Lasker ½-½601889Lasker - Mieses 1889/90A07 King's Indian Attack
25. Lasker vs J Mieses ½-½701890Lasker - Mieses 1889/90D21 Queen's Gambit Accepted
 page 1 of 62; games 1-25 of 1,541  PGN Download
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Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 70 OF 99 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Apr-09-13
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: Here is a link, originally provided by <tamar> elsewhere, in which Capablanca is interviewed and discusses, inter alia, Lasker's profound judgment, one of the attributes which enabled him to play top-class chess well into his sixties:

http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/...

Apr-11-13  IndigoViolet: From <C.N. 3272> (Attempts to strip Lasker):

<Apart from the <Capablanca-Magazine> case (which was based on the failure of the Lasker-Capablanca championship match negotiations) the motivation seems to have been political, i.e. related to Lasker's pro-German writings about the Great War. Already in 1914 the British press reacted fiercely to Lasker's words. For example, page 65 of the December 1914 <Chess Amateur> quoted from the <Illustrated London News>:

<A certain Herr Lasker has been airing his views to the Berlin public on the British Navy, apparently because he believes himself worthy to be styled the chess champion. The only claim we know this individual has to the title arises from the fact that the last time he ventured to defend it he escaped defeat by a lucky fluke that gave him a draw. Since then there has been the same difficulty in getting him to fight as Sir J. Jellicoe has experienced with the German Fleet. Otherwise his remarks have about the same value as would those of a beetle concerning a steam roller.>

The <Chess Amateur> then commented:

<According to Herr Lasker the movements of the French Army are similar to those of a chess knight. His comments on the final results of the war would do credit to the intelligence and profound judgement of a well-trained parrot.>

Lasker's articles were published in the <Vossiche Zeitung> from 16 August to 25 October 1914. A French translation appeared in supplements to <La Strategie> in January, February and April 1915. For an English version see the feature on pages 104-114 of issue 3 of <Lasker & His Contemporaries>.>

Apr-14-13  IndigoViolet: From <C.N. 2470>:

<Tailpiece: the <Morning Post> (London) unilaterally stripped Lasker of his world title after the Great War:

<Senor Capablanca's victories were in many cases charming pieces of master-chess and it is clear that the world's title - formerly held by Emanuel Lasker - whose gratuitous insults to the Allies will keep him out of chess in civilized countries for the rest of his career - is in worthy hands.>

This was quoted (disapprovingly) by the <American Chess Bulletin> on page 231 of its September-October 1919 issue.>

The lack of source data given for the <Morning Post> quote strongly suggests that Winter relied solely on the <American Chess Bulletin> for it.

The <Post> appears to have been a rather colourful title:

<The paper invited the ire of all the anti-colonialists in 1919 when it organised a collection for a purse of £18,000 to be presented to Reginald Dyer, the general of the Amritsar massacre for his services to the British Empire on his return to Britain.

The Cause of World Unrest

The paper gained notoriety in 1920 when it ran a series of 17 or 18 articles based on the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, text previously published in Russian by Sergei Nilus as the last chapter, Chapter XII, of Velikoe v malom... (The Great in the Small: The Coming of the Anti-Christ and the Rule of Satan on Earth). It is still widely held that Victor E. Marsden, the paper's Russian desk correspondent, used the copy of this rare book retained by the British Museum to translate this last chapter for the paper. Some have questioned this because the anonymous 1923 publication crediting Marsden as the translator in the pamphlet's preface occurred three years after Marsden's death on October 28, 1920.

These articles were subsequently collected and formed the basis of the book, The Cause of World Unrest, to which half the paper's staff contributed, mainly George Shanks; also Nesta H. Webster. But main credit for the compilation was given to the paper's editor, Gwynne. The book further denounced international Jewry and cultural and social dissolution among the Christian Nations.>

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mo...

It may be noteworthy that Lasker didn't play again in Britain until Nottingham, 1936. It would be interesting to know whether an attempt was made to invite him to the major London tournament of 1922.

Apr-15-13  TheFocus: <It may be noteworthy that Lasker didn't play again in Britain until Nottingham, 1936.>

True, except for three simultaneous exhibitions in 1934.

Apr-15-13  IndigoViolet: Well, they say beggars can't be choosers. I suppose they took place in or around this game: Scott / Hunnam / Bardsley vs Lasker, 1934.
Apr-15-13  TheFocus: Ealing: November 3 (No details of results)

Newcastle upon Tyne: December 3 (+23=1-2)

Newcastle Clock Exhibition: December 5 (+7=0-1)

No games from these exhibitions seem to have survived.

In the game you quote, Lasker's partner was G.H. Beaty. It took place on December 9.

Apr-15-13  Method B: It's from the Capablanca interview perfidious linked above:

<on a particular occasion he slipped into an inferior position to which Tarrasch induced him and suddenly found himself at his rival’s mercy. It was then that Lasker showed his fighting spirit. Instead of making the ordinary move which would have occurred to any other master, whereby he would sooner or later have lost or, with difficulty, drawn, Lasker sacrificed a pawn. But what a sacrifice! I have seen no such sacrifice in any modern games! It was impossible to know whether it should be accepted or refused. As the saying goes, “it shook the board”. Here was the “eccentricity” of the old teacher of philosophy and mathematics of the University of Breslau who took his opponents by surprise. The result was that after a few moves it was Lasker, not Tarrasch, who had the better game.>

Could someone post a link to this mentioned Lasker vs. Tarrasch game?

Thanks.

Apr-15-13
Premium Chessgames Member
  keypusher: <Method B>

I don't think anyone knows. It's been argued on these site. Here are a couple of candidates.

Tarrasch vs Lasker, 1908

Lasker vs Tarrasch, 1923

Apr-15-13  Olavi: <keypusher: Method B> Those are the candidates, and it must be the first one, because in the 1923 game a) it was obvious the sacrifice should be accepted b) the sacrifice is not so special, just a way to keep above water.
Apr-16-13  Lambda: I seem to remember a game from the 1916 match being proposed as a possibility.
Apr-16-13  Olavi: Well move 33 here Lasker vs Tarrasch, 1916, but is there really a sensible way to decline that sacrifice? Well perhapps, Nxc5 Rxe5 Kf6 Re8 Nd7.
Jun-16-13
Premium Chessgames Member
  Chessical: Lasker was described in the 1895 Hastings Tournament Book as "frail and delicate in health". The following would indicate that Lasker had a serious illness in the autumn of 1894:

<"The Secretary of the Western Australia Chess Association has received the following letter from Dr. Lasker, announcing the postponement of his visit to this colony.

London, November 20, 1894.
To the Hon. Secretary West Australian Chess Association,

Dear Sir,

I regret that I was unable to reply to your two favours at an earlier date. A rather severe attack of typhoid fever forced me to leave your letters unanswered until now. My breakdown in health is, according to the opinion expressed by my physicians, not only of an acute nature, but will leave after-effects which will take time to repair. My doctors strongly advise me to refrain from any kind of exertion for a considerable length of time. It was with the greatest pleasure that I accepted your hospitable invitation, and I am sincerely disappointed, both on my own and on your behalf, that the circumstances of my illness has rendered absolute rest an imperative necessity.">

AS reported in the "Western Mail" (Perth, Australia) on Saturday 29th December 1894, p 28.

Jul-05-13  tzar: Impressive to compare Lasker's achievements with others.

If Fischer had reigned the same years as Lasker he would have been champion until 1999!!!....and he even said Lasker was a coffee shop player!!!

Jul-06-13  shallowred: Jeremy Silman wrote a great Article on Lasker on Chess.com dated June 25, 2013.

It has good puzzles too.

Jul-11-13  Caissanist: Silman has now posted part 2 of his "Emanuel Lasker Tactical Monster" article on Chess.com. Links:

http://www.chess.com/article/view/e... http://www.chess.com/article/view/e...

Jul-21-13
Premium Chessgames Member
  LIFE Master AJ: http://www.angelfire.com/games4/lif...

E-mail ... a fan wrote me to tell me that just about all the annotated games on this page had broken links. I shot back an immediate e-mail, telling him that this couldn't be correct, I had worked on this page many times over the last few years. He wrote back: "PLEASE, just check the links."

I was wrong, he was right ... apparently, for about 10 years, these were all busted links, but now they are fixed.

Jul-21-13  whiteshark: <Caissanist> Thanks for the links. :D
Jul-21-13
Premium Chessgames Member
  LIFE Master AJ: << Jul-11-13 Caissanist: Silman has now posted part 2 of his "Emanuel Lasker Tactical Monster" article on Chess.com. Links: ... >>

Good stuff, I posted the first link on my Lasker page.

Jul-24-13  tzar: Lasker could play in approx. equal terms with Capa, Alekhine and even Botvinnik (-1 =3 when Lasker was almost 70). Taking into consideration that Botvinnik played in equal terms with Petrosian, Fischer, Tal, Spassky or Korchnoi, and these are already quite modern players who were strong opposition even for Karpov where is the historic gap???? Does this mean that Lasker could have taken up Fischer or even Karpov probably losing but being a worthy opponent? Maybe the old players would not be out of business at least until the computer era....who knows!!
Jul-24-13
Premium Chessgames Member
  offramp: A good lookalike for Lasker - don't immediately dismiss it - is David Koresh, http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...
Jul-24-13  savagerules: Well at least Lasker and his family and friends weren't incinerated by Slick Willy and Janet Reno like Koresh was. 76 people ended up as burnt toast inside the compound but no crimes against humanity charges were ever filed against good ol' Bill and his out-of-control psychotic lesbo attorney general.
Aug-06-13  kjr63: Something cool perhaps? King's gambit by Emanuel Lasker (from Manual of Chess). Download here:

http://koti.welho.com/krisberg/text...

Aug-12-13
Premium Chessgames Member
  FSR: <tzar> Yes, I have had the same thought. Anyone who dismisses Lasker and says that he couldn't have played with modern players doesn't know what he/she is talking about. Lasker was a giant. Just look at the cross-table of Moscow (1935). Imagine, the co-winners, Botvinnik and Flohr, were 23 and 26. Lasker, half a point behind, undefeated, was 66. Capablanca, a half point behind him, and whom Lasker crushed in their individual game, was 46. Just incredible. Imagine - according to Chessmetrics, the first and last occasions on which Lasker was the #1 player in the world were 36 1/2 years apart - June 1890 and December 1926! http://chessmetrics.com/cm/CM2/Play... It is as though the principles that apply to everyone else do not apply to Lasker.

And don't even get me started on the know-nothings who claim that Capablanca was a greater player than Lasker. Right - 20 years age difference, but Lasker finished ahead of him at <every> tournament the two contested until the two 1936 tournaments - Lasker's last - when Lasker was 67 years old. We're talking St. Petersburg 1914, New York 1924, Moscow 1925, and Moscow 1935. An absolute giant without parallel in chess history.

Aug-31-13  ganglion: You gonna love this: Lasker on himself!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2-...

Aug-31-13  KlingonBorgTatar: <FSR>, <tzar>, Amen, amen! I totally agree. Worth repeating here is his 3-0 score vs the Venerable Max Euwe, games that are stimulating to play over and over again.

Lasker is like Mick Jagger; both preserved their youth till their late 60s and 70s. I'm in my fifties but everytime I play Lasker games and watch Mick's hyperactivity in the stage, I feel like a pre-teen once again.

Always a source of inspiration . Only carabaos grow old!! Cheers!!

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