Problema solucionado: Lasker estaba ganando

“No chess event requires greater caution by historians than the Lasker v Schlechter match”, wrote Edward Winter in his excellent Chess Notes. Had the players agreed beforehand that the match would decide who gets the World Championship title? What were the exact conditions? Why did Schlechter play for a win in the last game despite being ahead on the scoreboard? Plenty of mysteries surround the confrontation that took place from January 7 to February 10, 1910 in Vienna and Berlin.

Nevertheless, the riddle that we presented our readers has to do with game 5. The players reached an endgame which finished with Lasker’s king unable to find a way to escape. But how many mistakes did Lasker make in the meantime?

The answer? Lasker was even winning at some point in the endgame! 

Once again, Zoran Petronijevic sent in the best solution:

This old game was analyzed by a lot of great players (let’s mention some: Lasker, Schlechter, Tarrasch, Capablanca, Romanovsky, Huebner, Dvoretsky, Mueller, Kasparov...). However, there are still dark holes in it. This game was analyzed for the last time by Garry Kasparov (in his “Great Predecessors” Part I, second edition, Moscow 2020), and I think that he missed some main points at times. This means that the game is exceptionally complex, but at the same time it is a nice one! (“Only hard things can be nice at the same time” - Spinoza).

The main points are:

1. The initial position is even. The first move 44.Qb4 is a serious mistake which leads to losing position. After the better 44.Qc3 (found by Dvoretsky), the position is even.
2. Although 46...c5 leads to sharp play, it isn’t a mistake at all (as Dvoretsky concluded). Black is winning still.
3. Move 47....c4 is a mistake, although Black is still winning. Easier was 47...Kd7.
4. A very important moment is Black’s 51...Qd5, which was never mentioned before. In my opinion, Black’'s winning chances in the rook endgame are great.
5. Move 52...d5 is a mistake which spoils a win, which would have come after 52...Qe5 with Qd5 next. It’s interesting that none of renowned analysts mentioned this winning idea.
6. After 53.Ra8 the position is even.
7. Move 54...Qc5 is a decisive mistake after which Black is lost.

In any case, besides some improvements in sidelines, the main question is: is Black winning after 52..Qe5 and Qd5? My analyses show that yes, he is. Let’s see what further discoveries are made by other analysts.

ChessBase Magazine 197

Specials: Anish Giri presents his best games with the Italian + Palma de Mallorca 1970 - an extensive retrospect. Analyses from Biel 2020 by Wojtaszek, Harikrishna, Adams, Keymer et al. Videos by Marin, King and Ris. 11 opening articles and much more!

Más...

In our replay board above there are a large number of functions you can use to really understand the game and the analysis. Recently we published a comprehensive tutorial plus video instructions which tells you about all the powerful features and buttons that make the ChessBase's replay one of the best replay experiences around.

One big advantage is that you can start an engine (fan icon) that will help you to analyse. You can get multiple lines of analysis by clicking the + button to the right of the engine analysis window. The "!" key, incidentally, shows you the threat in any position, which is incredibly useful in the case of unclear moves.

There is one more thing you can do. It is a lot of fun, but also a serious challenge: Click on the rook icon below the notation window. This will allow you the play the above position against Fritz, at your level of playing strength (e.g. "Club Player"), right here on the news page. Note that your analysis, in which you can delete, move or promote lines, is stored in the notation as new variations. In the end you will find the game with your analysis in the cloud. So nothing is ever lost.

Enlaces

• Problemas de ajedrez