CHESS
The game of the name
Raymond Keene
Ihave a modest proposal, namely that in order to accelerate the process towards official recognition, started by the citizens of St Petersburg voting to restore the legitimate name of their city, anyone writ- ing about the city should use its real name, and anyone writing to the city should do the same on letters etc. Greeks who write to Istanbul wistfully referring to it as Constantinople get, I imagine, short shrift from the Turkish postal authorities. Given the current climate in St Petersburg the local post officials would be only too co-operative in delivering mail correctly addressed.
St Petersburg has a great name in chess, with three of the most celebrated tourna- ments being held there in 1896, 1909 and 1914. Lasker won all three, though he had to share first place with Rubinstein in 1909. In 1896 Lasker dominated Steinitz, Pills- bury and Chigorin, with only Tarrasch of his main rivals refusing his invitation. In 1914 Lasker headed a field which included Capablanca, Alekhine, Tarrasch and Mar- shall. To have maintained his dominance over an 18-year period in this fashion argues that Lasker was a truly special champion.
Pillsbury-Lasker: St Petersburg 1896; Queen's Gambit Declined.
1 d4 d5 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 Nf3 c5 5 Bg5 cxd4 6 Qxd4 Nc6 7 Qh4 Sharper is 7 Bxf6 gxf6 8 Qh4 as Pillsbury was to demonstrate in a later game against Lasker. 7 . . . Be7 8 0-0-0 Qa5 9 e3 Bd7 10 Kbl h6 11 cxd5 exd5 12 Nd4 0-0 13 Bxf6 Bxf6 14 Qh5 Nxd4 15 exd4 Be6 16 f4 Rac8 White's opening has been proved feeble and Black now moves over to a fierce counter-attack: 17 f5 Rxe3 18 fxe6 Hoping to carry the fight to his opponent rather than submit to 18 bxc3 Qxc3 19 Qf3 Qb4+ 20 Qb3 Bxf5+. Nevertheless, Pillsbury has overlooked the force of Black's coming attack. 18 . . . Ra3 A brilliant coup, meeting 19 bxa3 with 19 . . . Qb6+ 20 Kal Bxd4+ 21 Rxd4 Qxd4+ 22 Kbl fxe6 followed by . . . Rf2. 19
exf7+ Rxf7 20 bxa3 Qb6+ 21 Bb5 Trying to alter the course of the winning variation given in the previous note by deflecting Black's queen from an attack on d4. 21 . . . QxbS+ 22 Kal Rc7 23 Rd2 Rc4 24 Rhdl Rc3 25 Qf5 Qc4 26 Kb2
Position after 26Kb2
(Diagram) 26 . . . Rxa3 A sensational recurr- ence of the same sacrificial idea elucidated by his 18th move. White now faces a forced check- mate. 27 Qe6+ Kh7 28 Kxa3 Qc3+ 29 Ka4 b5+ 30 KxbS Qc4+ 31 Ka5 BdS+ 32 Qb6 axb6 mate.
Rubinstein-Lasker: St Petersburg 1909; Queen's Gambit Declined.
1 d4 d5 2 NO Nf6 3 c4 e6 4 Bg5 c5 5 cxd5 exd5 6 Nc3 cxd4 7 Nxd4 Nc6 8 e3 Be7 9 Bb5 Bd7 10 Bxf6 Bxf6 11 NxdS Bxd4 12 exd4 Qg5 13 Bxc6 Bxc6 14 Ne3 0-0-0 15 0-0 Rhe8 16 Rcl Lasker has sacrificed a pawn for what looks like a winning attack. All of his forces are impressively mobil- ised and there is dreadful pressure against White's pawn on g2. Rubinstein's defence is masterly. 16 . . . Rxe3 17 Rxc6+ bxc6 Now if 18 fxe3 Qxe3+ and Black emerges a pawn up. 18 Qcl! A superb defensive resource which not only beats off the black attack but leaves him ultimately a pawn down. Rubinstein must have foreseen this idea at a great distance. 18 . Rxd4 19 fxe3 Rd7 20 Qxc6+ Kd8 21 Rf4 f5 22 Qc5 Qe7 23 Qxe7+ Kxe7 24 RxfS Rdl + 25 1(12 Rd2+ 26 Kf3 Rxb2 27 Ra5 Rb7 28 Ra6 K18 29 e4 Rc7 30 h4 Kf7 31 g4 Kf8 32 Kf4 Ke7 33 h5 h6 34 Kf5 K17 35 e5 Rb7 36 Rd6 Ke7 37 Ra6 K17 38 Rd6 K18 39 Rc6 Kf7 40 a3 Black resigned.
Lasker-Capablanca: St Petersburg 1914; Ruy Lopez.
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Bxc6 cbtc6 5 d4 exd4 6 Qxd4 Qxd4 7 Nxd4 Bd6 8 Nc3 Ne7 9 0-0 0-0 10 f4 This is very risky since it weakens White's centre, but Lasker absolutely had to win this game to take first prize in the tournament, and he was never averse to risk in such situations.
Black's correct response is 10 . Bc5. 10 . . . Re8 11 Nb3 f6 12 f5 b6 13 Bf4 Bbl Capablanca succumbs to the lure of having his queenside pawns straightened out, but in fact this leaves him with a passive position. Necessary, as Nimzowitsch pointed out, was 13 . . . bxf4 14 Rxf4 c5 15 Rdl Bb7 16 Rf2 Rac8 with the plan of . . . Nc6 – e5. 14 Bxd6 cxd6 15 Nd4 Rad8 16 Ne6 Rd7 17 Radl NcS 18 Rf2 b5 19 Rfd2 Rde7 20 b4 K17 21 a3 Ba8 22 Kf2 Ra7 23 g4 h6 24 Rd3 a5 25 h4 axb4 Black has been outplayed but can still probably draw by sacrificing the exchange at the appropriate moment to eliminate White's powerful knight, hence 25 . . . Rxe6 is neces- sary. 26 axb4 Rae? 27 Kf3 Rg8 Having unwisely opened the 'a' file the sacrifice of the exchange on e6 is no longer so attractive. From now on Black is strangled. Capablanca himself said that Lasker's play after move 28 was probably perfect. n Kf4 g6 29 Rg3 g5+ 30 Kf3 Nb6 31 hxg5 hxg5 32 Rh3 Rd7 33 Kg3 Ke8 34 Rdhl Bbl 35 e5 dxe5 36 Ne4 Nd5 37 N6c5 Bc8 38 Nxd7 Bxd7 39 Rh7 Rf8 40 Ral Kd8 41 Ra8+ Bc8 42 Nc5 Black resigned.
Lasker described the conclusion of this memorable sporting contest as follows: `The spectators had followed the final moves breathlessly. That Black's position was in ruins was obvious to the veriest tyro. And now Capablanca turned over his king. From the several hundred spectators there came such applause as I have never experi- enced in all my life as a chess player. It was like a wholly spontaneous applause which thunders forth in the theatre, of which the individual is almost unconscious.
Previous page
