Lasker Marshall WC

moonbus

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27 Nov '13 19:41

moonbus
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27 Nov '13 19:411 edit
In another thread GP wondered what hidden gems might have remained buried in the 1907 WC match between Lasker and Marshall. This one is grand to play through: very tricky endgame with 2 Ns vs N and 3 passers. Marshall is white.

EVENT ch WRL
SITE USA
DATE 1907.02.16
ROUND 7
WHITE Frank James Marshall
BLACK Emanuel Lasker
RESULT 1/2-1/2
WHITEELO ?
BLACKELO ?
ECO D32
EVENTDATE ?
Invert Board PGN Headers
[Event "ch WRL"]
[Site "USA"]
[Date "1907.02.16"]
[EventDate "?"]
[Round "7"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[White "Frank James Marshall"]
[Black "Emanuel Lasker"]
[ECO "D32"]
[WhiteElo "?"]
[BlackElo "?"]
[PlyCount "97"]

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c5 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Nf3 Nc6 6.Bg5 Be7
7.Bxe7 Ngxe7 8.dxc5 Qa5 9.e3 Qxc5 10.Bd3 Bg4 11.O-O Rd8 12.Re1
f5 13.h3 Bh5 14.Be2 O-O 15.Nd4 Bxe2 16.Ncxe2 Rf6 17.Qb3 Na5
18.Qd3 Nc4 19.b3 Nd6 20.Rac1 Qb6 21.Rc2 Ne4 22.Rec1 a6 23.Nf4
g5 24.Rc7 Nc6 25.Nfe6 Ne5 26.Rg7+ Kh8 27.Rcc7 Qxc7 28.Rxc7
Nxd3 29.Nxd8 Ndxf2 30.Rxb7 Nd1 31.Nf7+ Kg7 32.Nxg5+ Kg6
33.Nxh7 Rf7 34.Rxf7 Kxf7 35.Nxf5 Ndc3 36.a4 Kg6 37.Ne7+ Kxh7
38.b4 Nd6 39.Kf2 Kg7 40.Kf3 Kf6 41.Nc6 Nc4 42.b5 a5 43.b6 Nxb6
44.Nxa5 Ncxa4 45.h4 Nc5 46.g4 Nd3 47.g5+ Kf5 48.Nc6 Ne1+
49.Kf2 1/2-1/2
byedidia
Mister Why
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27 Nov '13 21:20
Wow! Great game. Thanks for posting.
greenpawn34
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27 Nov '13 22:332 edits
Hi Moonbus. (Blog idea ruined - Thank You) 😉

I was going to show the Game 6 draw in a blog.
(which as you will see would have led onto the naming of the variation
which would have led onto something else.)

Lasker - Marshall World Champioship 1907 (game 6)

Invert Board PGN Comments

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Bb4 {The McCutcheon variation. - so named because it was played against Steinitz in a simultaneous display by John Lindsay McCutcheon (1857-1905). McCutcheon won - I'll add the game after this.} 5. exd5 {I believe 5.e5 is the move theory prefers. (don't quote me) Lasker met this four times in the 1907 WC match he played 5.e5 the first time and 5.exd5 in the others.} 5... Qxd5 6. Bxf6 gxf6 7. Qd2 Bxc3 8. Qxc3 Nc6 9. Nf3 Rg8 10. O-O-O {Lasker tosses the a-pawn at Marshall to try and get at his uncastled King.} 10... Qxa2 11. d5 exd5 12. Bb5 Kf8 13. Bxc6 bxc6 14. Qxf6 Qa1+ 15. Kd2 Qa5+ 16. c3 Rb8 17. Ng5 {Both going are toe to toe and slugging it out. The first one to defend in these situatiions usually lose.} 17... Rxb2+ 18. Ke1 Rxg5 19. Qd8+ Kg7 20. Qxg5+ Kf8 21. Qd8+ Kg7 {And that is how it ended, a perpetual v the Black King. What happens if White takes the c8 Bishop?} 22. Qxc8 Qxc3+ 23. Kf1 Qc4+ 24. Kg1 Qf4 {Stops Qg4+ threatens mate on f2. Only one move.} 25. Rf1 Rxf2 26. Rxf2 Qc1+ 27. Rf1 Qc5+ 28. Rf2 Qc1+ 29. Rf1 {What happens if White takes the c8 Bishop? Black has a perpetual on the White King. (They should have played this out.)}

The Steinitz simul game that gave the opening it's name.
I was going to add deeper notes but I am sulking because
Moonbus nicked my blog idea....He can do the deeper notes.

Steinitz - McCutcheon, New York Simultaneous Display 1885

Invert Board PGN Comments

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Bb4 5. e5 {See note to 5th in the Lasker - Marshall game.} 5... h6 6. Bxf6 {6.Bd2 is deemed to give White more chance of an opening plus.} 6... gxf6 7. Nf3 f5 8. Bd3 c5 9. dxc5 Bxc5 10. O-O Nc6 11. Qd2 Qe7 12. Qf4 Bd7 13. Nb5 O-O-O 14. c4 Be8 15. Rfc1 Kb8 16. a3 a6 17. Nc3 dxc4 18. Bxc4 Nd4 19. Ne2 Nxf3+ 20. Qxf3 Bc6 21. Qh3 Ka7 22. b4 Bb6 23. Nc3 Rhg8 {White castled on move 10. Black's patience in delaying this move till now is incredible. It would have been an automatic candidate for most us quite a few moves ago.} 24. Bf1 Rd2 25. Nd1 Qg5 {Black has every piece aiming at the White King. Even the Black King is doing ti's bit by protecting the b6 Bishop. Something has to give.} 26. Rxc6 {The hits on g2 were getting alarming.} 26... bxc6 27. Qc3 Qf4 28. Qxc6 Rxd1 {F2 falls and it's all over. Steinitz resigned.}
moonbus
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28 Nov '13 20:24
Thanks for the notes on Lasker - Marshall. Sorry if I pre-empted your blog idea.

As requested: Steinitz - McCutcheon, 1885, below.

EVENT simultaeous, 25 boards
SITE New York
DATE ????.??.??
ROUND 1
WHITE Steinitz
BLACK McCutcheon
RESULT 0-1
ECO C12
Invert Board PGN Headers Comments

[Event "simultaeous, 25 boards"]
[Site "New York"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Steinitz"]
[Black "McCutcheon"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C12"]
[Annotator "Tartakower"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Bb4 { This counter-pin, which disdains the adverse threat of 5. P-K5 and seeks to transfer the weight of the battle to White's QB3/c3, is a good example of Black fighting for the initiative. } 5. e5 h6 6. Bxf6 { Taken aback by the novelty of this line, the master player chooses the most plausible, but least effective, continuation. If it is not desired to retire the threatened Bishop, a good continuation (but by no means a decisive one) is 6. PxN, PxB; 7. PxP, R-N1; 8. P-KR4 (best), PxP; 9. Q-R5, Q-B3; 10. N-B3 etc.} gxf6 7. Nf3 f5 8. Bd3 c5 9. dxc5 Bxc5 10. O-O Nc6 11. Qd2 Qe7 12. Qf4 Bd7 13. Nb5 O-O-O 14. c4 Be8 15. Rfc1 Kb8 16. a3 a6 17. Nc3 dxc4 18. Bxc4 Nd4 { With his last 5 moves, Black as weathered the storm on the queen-side, and now seeks to deprive White's king of his best defender, before himself assuming the offensive. } 19. Ne2 Nxf3+ 20. Qxf3 Bc6 { Henceforth Black has the initiative. } 21. Qh3 Ka7 22. b4 Bb6 23. Nc3 Rhg8 24. Bf1 Rd2 25. Nd1 Qg5 { In order to keep on harrying the adverse King by 26. ... Q-B5.} 26. Rxc6 { An unsound combination of the kind frequently adopted in difficult situations. If 26. P-R4 trying to carry out his attack on the queen side, then, as mentioned before 26 ... Q-B5. If 26. N-K3, then not only 26 ... Q-B5, or P-B5, but even liquidation by ... BxN; 27. QxB+, QxQ; 28. PxQ, BxP and wins. If 26. R-B3 to strengthen the 3rd rank and threaten 27. R-KN3, then again 26. ... Q-B5 or P-B5. Black even has a combinative continuation at his disposal: 26 ... B-Q5; 27. R-KN3, Q-B5; 28. RxR, RxP (with the threat of RxB mate); 29. NxR, QxN+; 30. K-R1, Q-N8 mate. } 26... bxc6 27. Qc3 Qf4 28. Qxc6 Rxd1 { An eliminating sacrifice. 0-1. Notes by Tartakower, 500 Master Games of Chess, Dover ed.}

I have a request; perhaps you could pass it on to the web interface programmers: could we please have coordinates on board displays in threads? I learned British descriptive as a kid and never got really fluent at algebraic, so I stumble sometimes in these threads... Thanks.
greenpawn34
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29 Nov '13 01:45
Not only have to knobbled an entire blog, now you have posted a game
I have already posted. This is thread plagiarism.

I've got my eye on you Moonbus. I may have to fill a blog with Moonbus losses.

Speaking of plagiarism, I see GM Raymond Keene is getting dragged over the coals by Private Eye.

http://www.ecforum.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=5043&start=285
moonbus
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29 Nov '13 05:222 edits
Somebody once said that plagiarism is the sincerest form of flattery. I hope it was me.

"I may have to fill a blog with Moonbus losses."

Wot, both of 'em? Not much filler there, I'm afraid.
moonbus
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29 Nov '13 12:36
PS, I have now had a chance to read through the article on Keene. A wimpy copy-paster I am not! I'll have you know that I laboriously dictated Tartakower's notes into a speech recognition app. </sarcasm>
greenpawn34
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29 Nov '13 16:32
"Wot, both of 'em? Not much filler there, I'm afraid."

I can pad it out with games you should have lost and then games should have won.

I have established you have that excellent book Tartakower & Du Mont's 500.
Every library should have a copy, infact a chess library need only contain
this one book to turn your avergae joe into a chess player.
But you have to read it, study it, devour it....

Game 111 Faktor - Rubinstein, the note after Black's 60th move.
It starts 'Most instructive for the beginner - is as follows'.
Warning you that even the most easily won looking endings hide miracles.

The first game of yours I looked at (a draw).
I discovered you should have lost and then should have won.

First we look at a position in the game you should have lost.

M Ivan - moonbus RHP 2013 Game 9834715

White should have played 15.Bxc1 instead of 15,Qxc1 that appears to be easily winning for White.

That is the win White missed. Same game, many moves later. The miracle I mentioned earlier.

Black (Moonbus) to play.

Black played 33...f5 and the game was drawn, Whte cannot get his King in.
Black should have saved up f5 as tempo burner and the Black King gets in.

FEN 8/8/p2k1p2/1p1p3p/1P1K1p1P/P4P2/8/8 b - - 0 1
Invert Board PGN Headers Comments

[FEN "8/8/p2k1p2/1p1p3p/1P1K1p1P/P4P2/8/8 b - - 0 1"]

1... Ke6 2. Kc3 Ke5 3. Kd3 d4 4. Kd2 Kd5 5. Kd3 {I've aimed deliberatly for here because this position appeared in the game except the f6 pawn was on f5 and with Black to play he discovered he could not get and the game was drawn.} 5... f5 {The tempo waster.} 6. Kd2 Kc4 {The Black King is in.}
moonbus
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29 Nov '13 17:00
"The first game of yours I looked at (a draw).
I discovered you should have lost and then should have won."

Oh, that is by no means my most ridiculous and embarrassing game. (BTW, read my annotations for that game.)

Game 10215769 was worse: I was playing against a player who was: a) playing an unsound opening, and b) about 300 points my junior. And I contrived to hang my queen. Good grief, Charlie Brown, it doesn't get any dumber than that!

Sheer inattention to detail, both times.

Tartakower & Dumont's book is great, isn't it? I have two other gems in my library: Richard Reti's Masters of the Chessboard (Dover), and Emanuel Lasker The Life of a Chess Master by J. Hannak (Andre Deutsch, 1959). There is endless joy playing over those games and reading the analyses.
Paul Leggett
Chess Librarian
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29 Nov '13 17:07
Originally posted by moonbus
"The first game of yours I looked at (a draw).
I discovered you should have lost and then should have won."

Oh, that is by no means my most ridiculous and embarrassing game. (BTW, read my annotations for that game.)

Game 10215769 was worse: I was playing against a player who was: a) playing an unsound opening, and b) about 300 points my junior. ...[text shortened]... k (Andre Deutsch, 1959). There is endless joy playing over those games and reading the analyses.
If you form a queen hanging club, I will be your first recruit.
moonbus
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29 Nov '13 17:261 edit
Originally posted by Paul Leggett
If you form a queen hanging club, I will be your first recruit.
Well, I wouldn't claim to be "expert" at it, but it would be a comfort to have some company in that club.

BTW, can anybody other than me see my published annotations, or are they visible only after I have put in the requisite number of games to get past a provisional rating?

EVENT	ch WRL
SITE	USA
DATE	1907.02.16
ROUND	7
WHITE	Frank James Marshall
BLACK	Emanuel Lasker
RESULT	1/2-1/2
WHITEELO	?
BLACKELO	?
ECO	D32
EVENTDATE	?

EVENT	simultaeous, 25 boards
SITE	New York
DATE	????.??.??
ROUND	1
WHITE	Steinitz
BLACK	McCutcheon
RESULT	0-1
ECO	C12

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Lasker Marshall WC