Hamburg 1910

     The big news in the world of chess didn't come until December 8, 1910, when Emanuel Lasker defeated David Janowski (+8 =0 +3) in the world championship match in Berlin. Actually, that probably couldn't be called BIG news because Janowsky never had a chance of winning. It was Lasker's last serious chess for three and a half years. 

     Almost a year earlier in January and February Lasker had played a ten game match against Carl Schlechter. Originally they were to play 30 games, but a lack of money caused it to be shortened to 10 games. 

     After nine games Schlechter was leading 5-4 (+1 -0 =8) and all he needed to win the match was another draw. At one point in that last game he was actually winning, but instead he managed to lose the game and the match was tied. Was this match for the world championship? Maybe, maybe not. See: chessgamedotcom, Wikipedia and ChessBase  

     In March, 1910 Britain defeated the US in the 12th cable match. by a score of 6.5-3.5. There had been a series of cable matches starting in 1896 played between the two countries every year (except for a three year gap from 1904-1906) and the last was to be played in 1912. At the end of the matches each team had won six matches and one was drawn.

     George Wolbrecht of St. Louis won the Western Chess Association Open (US Open) in Chicago and in England Henry Atkins won the British Championship in Oxford. 

     About the only other notable chess news in 1910 was the big international tournament in Hamburg. Capablanca was invited but didn't play. He wrote that he had accepted the invitation and was ready to go when illness prevented him from making the voyage. He was adamant that his last minute withdrawal which sparked comments by some players that he was scared away by the strong lineup was silly.

     He wrote, "...I was not afraid, and had no reason to be, I soon proved to the satisfaction of all, when the following year I won the first prize in the strongest tournament that has ever been held: the first San Sebastian tournament." 

     Hamburg was Yates' first important international tournament and Tarrasch objected to his inclusion because Yates wasn't strong enough to be playing in such an important event. Naturally, Tarrasch lost to Yates.

Siegbert Tarrasch - F.D. Yates

Result: 0-1

Site: Hamburg

Date: 1910

Queen's Gambit Declined

[...] 1.d4 d5 2.♘f3 ♘f6 3.c4 e6 4.e3 ♗e7 5.♘c3 c5 6.♗d3 ♘c6 7.O-O O-O 8.b3 b6 9.♗b2 ♗b7 10.♖c1 ♖c8 11.cxd5 ♘xd5 12.♘e2

12.♘xd5 ♕xd5 13.♗c4 ♕h5 14.dxc5 ♖fd8 15.♕e2 ♗xc5 16.♗a6 ♗xa6 17.♕xa6 ♘b4 18.♕xa7 with equal chances. Hevia Alejano,C (2493)-Pazos Gambarrotti, P (2254)/ Bucaramanga COL 2014

12.dxc5 ♘xc3 13.♗xc3 ♗xc5 14.♕e2 ♕e7 15.♖fd1 ♗a3 16.♗b2 ♗xb2 17.♕xb2 Draw agreed. Najdorf,M-Eliskases,E/ Santa Fe 1956

12...cxd4 13.♘exd4 ♘xd4 14.♘xd4 ♖xc1 15.♕xc1 ♗d6 16.♘f3 ♕e7 17.♕a1 f6 18.♘d4 So far the game has been quite boring and a draw looks like a natural outcome. Yates' next move was probalbly played with the intention of opening up the K-side with ...f4 18...f5 There does not seem to be any hope of getting ... f4 in...if white plays correctly. 19.♖c1 This natural looking move occupying the open file throws away the game! Black to play and win.

19.♗c4 Had to be played after which black's sacrifice won't work. 19...♘xe3 20.fxe3 ♕g5 21.♖f2 ♕xe3 In the game with the R on c3 this would be a check. 22.♗xe6+ ♔h8 23.♘xf5 ♕xe6 24.♗xg7+ ♔g8 25.♘h6+ ♕xh6 26.♗xh6 ♖f7 27.♕d4 ♗f8 28.♕c4 ♗xh6 29.♕xf7+ mates

19.♗c4 f4 would fail. 20.e4 ♘f6 21.♘f5 ♕c7 22.♗xe6+ ♔h8 23.♖c1 ♕b8 24.♖d1 ♗c5 25.♘xg7 wins.

(19.♗c4 ♘c7 20.♖d1 ♗c5 would be completely equal.) 19...♘xe3 With this move Yates commences an unstoppable attack with his two Bs and Q. Eventually the R will also get in on the action and finish off the game. 20.fxe3 ♕g5 21.♔f2 ♕xg2+ 22.♔e1 ♗xh2 Good enough.

22...f4 is a crusher. 23.♔d1 fxe3 24.♗c3 ♖f2 25.♖c2 ♗e4 with an easy win.

23.♗e2

23.♖c2 isn't sufficient to save the game. 23...♕g3+ 24.♔d2 ♕f2+ 25.♗e2 f4 26.♕e1 fxe3+ 27.♔d1 ♗e4 28.♕xf2 ♗xc2+ 29.♔xc2 exf2 30.♗f1 e5 with a won ending.

23...e5 Even better was 12...f4

23...f4 24.♖c3 fxe3 25.♔d1 There is no place to hide. (25.♖xe3 ♕f2+) 25...♕g1+ 26.♔c2 ♗e4+ 27.♖d3 (27.♗d3 ♖f2+ 28.♘e2 ♖xe2#) 27...♖c8+ 28.♗c3 ♕xa1 mates in 5

24.♘e6 ♗g3+ The remainder of the game is a King hunt. 25.♔d1 ♗f3 26.♗xf3 ♕xf3+ 27.♔c2 ♕e4+ 28.♔d2 ♕d5+ 29.♘d4 exd4 30.♗xd4 f4 31.e4 ♕xe4 32.♖c4 ♖d8 33.a4 ♗f2 White resigned.

33...♗f2 34.♔c1 ♗xd4 35.♕c3 ♕h1+ 36.♔b2 ♕h2+ 37.♔a3 ♗xc3 38.♖xc3 ♕d2 39.♖c4 a5 40.♖c6 ♕d1 41.b4 ♕b1 42.b5 ♖d3+ 43.♖c3 ♖xc3#

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