Annotated Games

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 Be7 5.e3 0-0 6.Bd3 c5 7.0-0
 

In the eleventh game of the present match Lasker proceeded with 7.dxc5 dxc4 8.Bxc4 Qxd1+ 9.Kxd1 etc.

7...cxd4 8.exd4 dxc4 9.Bxc4 Nbd7

In the early stages of the match Steinitz-Zukertort (1886) I adopted this line of play in similar positions, but afterward played 9...Nc6 which is undoubtedly stronger.

10.Bb3 Nb6 11.Bg5 Bd7 12.Qd3 Rc8
 

12...Bc6 with a view of fixing that bishop at d5 as soon as possible seems superior.

13.Ne5 Bc6 14.Nxc6 Rxc6 15.Rfd1 Nfd5

It would have been better to advance 15...h6 first, making room for the king.

16.Bxe7 Nxe7 17.Bc2 Ng6
 

Not as good as 17...g6 keeping a better hold on the isolated pawn.

18.Qf3 Nd5 19.Be4 Nxc3 20.bxc3 Rb6 21.c4 f5 22.Bc2 Qf6 23.c5
 

23...Rc6

Black's original intention was to continue 23...Rb4 24.Qc3 a5 25.a3 Nf4 26.Kf1 Qh6 27.h3 (best) ( 27.axb4 fails to 27...Qxh2 28.Ke1 Qg1+ 29.Kd2 Qxf2+ 30.Kc1 Ne2+ winning the white queen.) 27...Nd5 However, as White could now force the exchange of queens by 28.Qd2 followed soon by Rb1, Black abandoned the idea.

24.Rab1 Nh4 25.Qe3

25.Qb3 appears still stronger.

25...Rc7 26.f4 Ng6 27.Bb3 Re7 28.a4 Rd8 29.a5 a6 30.Ba4 Qh4

The work of the time limit and not well considered.  30...Nf8 was more likely to be of good service.

31.g3 Qg4
 

Faulty in the extreme and really the cause of the almost immediate loss of the game. The queen should have retreated to f6, followed at once by 32...Rc8 and thence to c7.

32.Rd2 Nf8 33.Bd1 Qg6 34.d5

After this Black's struggles are hopeless. The latter part of the game has been conducted by Lasker with the utmost ingenuity and is a grand example of chess.

34...Rf7 35.d6 Qf6 36.Rdb2 g5 37.Rxb7 gxf4 38.Rxf7 Qxf7 39.gxf4 Qg7+ 40.Kh1 Ng6 41.Qxe6+ Kh8 42.Qe3 Rg8 43.Bf3 Nh4 44.Bd5 1-0