Carl Schlechter vs Emanuel Lasker - Lasker - Schlechter World Championship Match 1910.01.22

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Carl Schlechter vs Emanuel Lasker
Lasker - Schlechter World Championship Match Vienna AUH round 5 1910.01.22
Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Closed Bernstein Variation 1-0

[Event "Lasker - Schlechter World Championship Match"]
[Site "Vienna AUH"]
[Date "1910.01.22"]
[EventDate "?"]
[Round "5"]
[Result "1-0"]
[White "Carl Schlechter"]
[Black "Emanuel Lasker"]
[ECO "C66"]
[WhiteElo "?"]
[BlackElo "?"]
[PlyCount "116"]

1.e4 {Notes by Jose Raul Capablanca from "The Chess Weekly",
1910.} e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.O-O d6 5.d4 Bd7 6.Nc3 Be7
7.Bg5 O-O 8.dxe5 Nxe5 {Of course if 8...dxe5 9.Bxc6 would win
a pawn.} 9.Bxd7 Nfxd7 10.Bxe7 Nxf3+ {If 10...Qxe7 probably
11.Nxd4} 11.Qxf3 Qxe7 12.Nd5 Qd8 13.Rad1 Re8 14.Rfe1 Nb6
15.Qc3 Nxd5 16.Rxd5 Re6 17.Rd3 Qe7 18.Rg3 Rg6 19.Ree3 Re8
20.h3 Kf8 21.Rxg6 hxg6 {With every exchange Black's position
becomes better. Whatever positional advantage White had is
fast disappearing.} 22.Qb4 c6 23.Qa3 a6 24.Qb3 Rd8 25.c4 Rd7
26.Qd1 Qe5 27.Qg4 Ke8 28.Qe2 Kd8 29.Qd2 Kc7 {White, apparently
satisfied with his position has allowed the black king to move
over to the queenside, without making any attempt to stop
him. White now starts an advance of the queen side pawns,
which is checked by Black at once.} 30.a3 Re7 31.b4 b5 32.cxb5
axb5 {Black's strategy has been of a very high order. He has
now a very fine game.} 33.g3 g5 34.Kg2 Re8 35.Qd1 f6 36.Qb3
Qe6 37.Qd1 Rh8 38.g4 Qc4 39.a4 {Black's position was becoming
too alarmingly strong. White prefers to give up a pawn and go
for the Black king, rather than be boxed in without a chance
to move anything.} Qxb4 {39...bxa4, and if 40.Qxa4 Rb8, should
be considered. It looks very much as though Black would
win. The position is worth studying. By playing 40...Rb8,
Black threatens to play 41...Rxb4 and then 42...Rb1, with a
murderous check in sight at f1.} 40.axb5 Qxb5 41.Rb3 Qa6
42.Qd4 Re8 {If Black were satisfied with a draw, 42...Rb8
would have accomplished it. The champion's play is better, as
he could have drawn if he wished up to the fifty-fourth move.}
43.Rb1 Re5 44.Qb4 Qb5 45.Qe1 Qd3 46.Rb4 c5 {46...Rb5 gave
Black some chances of winning.} 47.Ra4 c4 48.Qa1 Qxe4+ 49.Kh2
Rb5 50.Qa2 Qe5+ 51.Kg1 Qe1+ 52.Kh2 d5 53.Ra8 Qb4 {He could
have easily drawn the game by perpetual check, as White could
not afford to play 54.Kg2 and 55.f3 because of 55...Qd4.}
54.Kg2 Qc5 {A most rare case of chess blindness on the part of
Dr. Lasker. 54...Rb8 would at least draw.} 55.Qa6 Rb8 {It was
bad now, but he might have tried 55...Qb6 56.Qc8+ Kd6 57.Ra6
Qxa6 58.Qxa6+ Kc5 and fight it out with the two passed pawns
and his rook against the queen.} 56.Ra7+ Kd8 57.Rxg7 Qb6
58.Qa3 Kc8 1-0

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Updated: 13 December, 2021
Created: 13 December, 2021