The Art of the Trade
by Lasker and Tartakower

Lasker 39: "Trade queens?"
Tartakower[moves queen away]40: "NO"

Lasker[moves]40: "Trade Queens?"
Tartakower[moves queen away]41: "NO!"

Lasker41,42: Ok...Check Check.
Lasker[moves]43: "Last Chance, Trade Queens?"
Tartakower[moves queen away AGAIN!!!]44: "NO!!!!"

Lasker (44): Fine!!! Check.

And the rest of the game was beautifully finished.

Some alternative lines for the rest of the moves:

<45...e3! 46.Ke2<46.Kf3 Rf1+<46...Qb2+ 47.Kd3 Qd2+ 48.Ke4 Qxg2+ 49.Kd4 0-0> 47.Ke2 <47.Kf1 e2+ 48.Bxe2 Qxe2+ 49.Kg1 Qxg2# 0-1> Rf2+ 48.Ke1 Qc3+ 49.Kd1 Qd2# 0-1> 46...Rb2+ 47.Ke1 Qc3+ 48.Kf1 Qc1+ <49.Bd1 Qxd1#>>

Dr. Lasker's perverse and peculiar genius for winning from bad positions has never been more evident. Look at the position at the 21st move. Lasker has ONE piece beyond his second rank -- a pawn on d6! Meanwhile Tartakower's pieces have nary a problem (his N on h2 isn't perfect, but why quibble?)... his rooks are in a battery against f7 -- his control of the center is ridiculous... this looks like a simul and Black is a C player.

So, for Black to ultimately <win> not draw, win -- from that position -- and win without benefit of a gross blunder from White -- seriously calls into question everything I've ever learned about chess.

Lasker is amazing. One of a kind. No one has played chess quite like him before or since.

Nah, look at that huge e5 outpost, and consider all those white pawns on white squares with no dark-square bishop. I dream of positions like that for Black.

Well, you (and Lasker) see deeper and clearer than I.... but that still calls everything I know about chess into question! You, Lasker, and also a strong engine doesn't hate Black's game nearly as much as I do... A quick pass from Toga calls this basically even. What an eye-opener for me.

It's a few days later, and Tartakower is playing Lasker. Suddenly, after move 11:

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Lasker whispers, "Take your six moves now." There's a couple of exchanges, and Lasker keeps making moves to keep up appearances, but here's the board after move 19:

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Tartakower has finished his development and doubled rooks on a half-open file. Outside of trading a knight, Lasker has done nothing but shuffle his pieces around. And yet from this point Lasker takes over the game.

Alekhine's suburb tournament book tells how the spectators applauded loudly when Lasker emerged from the playing area after the game was over.

This suggests that White has to use his greater space to start an attack before Black has time to get enough of Black's men into play.

Tartakower says in his book that instead of 19 Qg3, some Berlin experts discovered later the double exchange sacrifice 19 Rxf6 Bxf6 20 Rxf6 gxf6 21 Ng4 starting an attack with his minor pieces before Black can develop Black's heavy pieces. 21...Qd8! is according to Tartakower <the only saving clause> and Tartakower quotes a forest of variations covering almost two columns of analysis in his book after which Tartakower says < as is the case in many another ferocious struggle - a peaceful draw is the result>

If Tartakower is right this suggests that 19 Qg3? is already a mistake and a losing mistake as it allows Black to develop Black's queen towards the defence by 19...Qd8! covering f6 and preventing the double exchange sacrifice.

The move 14 f4 concedes so much to Black that it suggests that White then has to play for something like this, as Tartakower suggests, the double exchange sacrifice before Black has time to develop his men.

However if after 14 f4?! White has to risk so much for no more than a draw with best play this suggests that it lets slip at least some of White's advantage and that Alekhine may have been right to call it anti-positional in his book of the tournament.