Instructive Play By Edward Lasker

     The following game was played in the Marshall Chess Club Sextangular tournament in 1951. I don't usually post games with endings because I know most players don't like long games featuring endings...they prefer tactical slugfests. However, Edward Lasker's play in the ending in this game was quite remarkable. 

     I have done several posts on the remarkable Edward Lasker in the past. Lasker himself (HERE), his electric breast pump invention (HERE) and how he almost won the US Championship (HERE), his electric breast pump, and how Edward Lasker almost won the US championship.

     Basic Chess Endings (aka BCE) was written by Reuben Fine and originally published in October, 1941. It is considered the first systematic book in English on the ending and remains a classic to this day. 

     In his review of BCE John Nunn wrote that "the quality of the general explanations is excellent and probably has never been surpassed...Fine...gives general descriptions and the book has been rightly praised for its instructional value. Nunn also pointed out that because the book was written pre-engine...there are many errors in the concrete analysis of positions...(but) the quality of the general explanations compensates for the errors and makes it well worth reading...The only exception is the chapter on queen endings, which has advanced greatly since 1941, and much of the material is seriously misleading."

     Over the years, Larry Evans published many corrections in his Chess Life column. Evans himself did not discover the errors, but they were submitted by readers and at one time a list of the corrections was also published. Eventually Chess Life editor Burt Hochberg convinced the publisher to create a new edition.

     Grandmaster, problemist and endgame expert Pal Benko revised the work, but of Benko's revision Nunn wrote that, "A chance to bring this classic up to date was squandered. ... The layout has been improved, but still many positions are without diagrams and some positions have been removed. ... There is a small amount of new material, but it is mostly from Benko's games and studies, and some of the new material has been added clumsily. ... The chapter on queen endings has not been changed to reflect the discoveries since 1941. ... The greatest disappointment is the failure to correct many of the errors in the original book, some of which are well-known." One of the reasons for Benko's failure was that he steadfastly refused to use engines. 

     In a 1984 interview Fine said that it took him three months to write the book and that organizing the material gave him no trouble, but it was hard work coming up with example positions, so he created many of the examples himself. This is amazing and I would be curious to know if any of today's Grandmasters could create such a monumental classic in three months without an engine. Somehow I doubt it. 

     In any case, for Edward Lasker to draw Fine in an ending is an excellent achievement. The ending is quite instructive and using the 6-piece Nalimov EGTB (found HERE) in conjunction with an engine while playing over the game can be quite rewarding.

Reuben Fine - Edward Lasker

Result: 1/2-1/2

Site: Marshall CC Sextangular, New York

Date: 1951

Nimzo-Indian: Rubinstein

[...] 1.d4 ♘f6 2.c4 e6 3.♘c3 ♗b4 4.e3 c5 5.♘ge2 d5 Black usually plays 5... dxc4, but at the time this was considered an improvement. 6.a3 ♗xc3+ 7.bxc3 White captures this way and not with the N in order to avoid getting an isolated d-Pawn. That's not to say that would be bad, but only that it is a matter of preference. 7...cxd4

7...♘c6 8.♘g3 O-O 9.cxd5 exd5 10.♗d3 ♖e8 with equality. Sanzhaev,D (2120)-Husnullin,R (2209)/ Kazan RUS 2009

8.cxd4 dxc4 9.♕a4+ ♘c6 10.♕xc4 The disadvantage of white's strategy is that black has a Q-side P-majority which will be an advantage in the ending if the game gets that far. 10...O-O 11.♘c3 ♗d7 12.♗e2 ♖c8 13.♕d3 ♘a5 This was questioned by Fine who thought that 13...Ne7 to free the B and open the c-file was better. Or, perhaps black should play 13. ..a6 to prevent Nb5 14.♖b1 ♕c7 15.♗d2 b6 16.♘b5 Fine claimed this move is forced, but it is not. On any case white now has the two Bs which Fine claimed was too many against two Ns. 16...♗xb5 17.♕xb5 ♖fd8 18.O-O

18.♗xa5 was not a good idea because after 18...♖d5 19.♕b2 (19.♗xb6 ♕c3+ wins the Q) 19...♖xa5 black would be happy.

18...♘c6 Necessary because Bxa5 was now a real threat.

18...♔h8 A pass to demonstrate the threat. 19.♗xa5 ♖d5 20.♗xb6 The check on c3 is no longer available. 20...♖xb5 21.♗xc7 ♖xb1 22.♖xb1 ♖xc7 and white has the advantage.

19.♕a4 ♘e4 20.♗e1 ♘b8 A dual purpose move. It prevents Ba6 chasing the R off the c-file and it prevents white from playing f2-f3 because then the N could go to c3 which would force white to play Bxc3 parting with his two Bs. 21.♖b3 ♕e7 Better was 21...Qd7 which he will soon play anyway. 22.f3 ♘f6 23.♗h4 ♕d7 24.♗b5 ♕d5 Giving up his Q-side Ps is just too risky! 25.♖b2 e5 This looks aggressive, but in the end it just loses a P as white will not 26.dxe5 26.♕xa7 (26.dxe5 ♕xe5 27.♖b3 a5 with equal chances.) 26...exd4 27.♕xb6 ♕e5 (27...dxe3 28.♕xe3 leaves white with a won ending.) 28.exd4 ♕e3+ 29.♗f2 ♕xa3 All of a sudden black is a P down plus white has the two Bs. 30.♗e2 ♘d5 31.♕b3 ♕xb3 32.♖xb3 ♘f4 33.♗b5 ♘c6 34.♖d1 ♖b8 35.♔f1 Bringing the K towards the center is always good endgame strategy.

35.♗c4 exchanging one of the Rs was not a good idea because after 35...♖xb3 36.♗xb3 ♘e2+ black regains the P

35...♘a5 36.♖bb1 ♘d5 37.♖dc1 ♔f8 38.♗e1 ♘c4 Thanks to Lasker's N handling Fine finally gives up his two Bs in frustration. 39.♗xc4 ♖xb1 40.♖xb1 ♘e3+ 41.♔e2 ♘xc4 42.♗b4+ ♔e8 43.♔d3 ♘e5+ 44.♔e4 ♘c6 45.♗c5 White still has a considerable advantage here because of his extra P, better K position and the B is better than the N. 45...f5+ Brilliant! This practically forces the draw. 46.♔xf5 ♘xd4+ 47.♗xd4 ♖xd4 48.♔e6 ♖d8 49.h4 ♔f8 50.h5 ♖a8 51.♖b6 h6 52.g4 ♔g8 53.f4 ♖e8+ 54.♔f5 ♖f8+ 55.♔e5 ♖e8+ 56.♖e6 ♖a8

56...♖xe6+ 57.♔xe6 would lose an elementary K and P ending. 57...♔f8 58.f5 ♔g8 59.f6 gxf6 60.♔xf6 ♔h7 61.♔f7 ♔h8 62.♔g6 and wins

57.♖e7 ♔f8 58.♖d7 ♔g8 59.g5 ♖a5+ 60.♖d5 ♖xd5+ 61.♔xd5 hxg5 62.fxg5 This position is a draw with either side to move. Here black only needs to avoid playing his K to the h-file. 62...♔f7

62...♔h7 loses to 63.♔e6 ♔g8 64.♔e7 ♔h7 65.♔f7 ♔h8 66.♔f8 ♔h7 67.g6+ ♔h6 68.♔g8 ♔xh5 69.♔xg7 wins

63.♔d6 ♔f8 64.♔e6 ♔e8 65.♔e5 ♔e7 66.♔f5 ♔f8 I am unsure what to make of this move because it is a colossal blunder that should have lost yet it is the move shown in the game score appearing in Chess Life and it's odd that Fine would not have instantly recognized the move as losing.

66...♔f7 keeping the opposition holds the draw as white can make no headway. 67.g6+ now any K move draws. 67...♔e7 68.♔g5 ♔f8 69.h6 Black loses if he takes the P 69...♔g8 70.hxg7 (70.h7+ ♔h8 results in stalemate.) 70...♔xg7 drawn.

66...♔f7 I believe this may have been the actual conclusion to the game and the draw was agreed here. 67.♔g4 ♔e7 68.♔f5 ♔f7

67.♔g4

67.♔g6 wins. 67...♔g8 68.h6 gxh6 69.♔xh6 ♔h8 (69...♔f8 70.g6 ♔g8 71.g7 ♔f7 72.♔h7) 70.g6 ♔g8 71.g7

67...♔e7 68.♔f5 ♔f7 Drawn.

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