Lasker also got praise from a more recent player, Mikhail Tal, who wrote, "The greatest of the champions was, of course, Emanuel Lasker. At the chess board he accomplished the impossible......He was an amazing tactician, winning games that were apparently quite hopeless."
Another World Champion, Vladimir Kramnik, wrote, "In my view, Lasker was a pioneer of modern chess...Lasker had a lot of games that modern chess players could have (played).”
Chess author and historian John Hilbert wrote that Lasker’s win over Napier at Cambridge Springs in 1904 “is still considered one of the finest games played in the early decades of this century…”
In their book, Fine and Reinfeld wrote, “Surely it is no exaggeration to
say that this game is one of the most beautiful, most profound, most exciting and most difficult in the whole literature of chess!”
All that is pretty high praise, but what does Stockfish think? Analyzing at 20 seconds per move using Fritz 19 with Stockfish generated the following chart which indicates that the game was far from brilliant.
So, maybe it wasn't brilliant, but it is highly entertaining. As a note of curiosity, in this game, like Kotov in the game in the previous post, also plays Nf5 with a strong effect. The game is filled with complications and it’s not really surprising that such strong players as Reuben Fine, Georg Marco and Fred Reinfeld did not catch all the mistakes. Of course the players themselves, also very strong, didn’t either, so we can’t be too critical. Stockfish, which sees everything, shows the game not to be a perfect positional or tactical masterpiece, but it is a masterpiece when it comes to excitement.
[Event "Cambridge Springs"]
[Site ""]
[Date "1904.04.28"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Emanuel Lasker"]
[Black "William E. Napier"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B25"]
[Annotator "Stockfisj 17.1"]
[PlyCount "69"]
[EventDate "1904.04.25"]
{B72: Sicilian Dragon} 1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Nf3 g6 {The modern form of the
Dragon was developed around 1880 by Louis Paulsen. It was played more
frequently by Henry Bird in the 1880s and gained wider acceptance around 1900.
In mre modern times it had a surge of popularity in the 1980s and 1990s. While
its popularity has declined, it remains solid...and danferous.} 4. d4 cxd4 5.
Nxd4 Bg7 6. Be3 d6 7. h3 Nf6 8. g4 {There is nothing subtke about Lasker's
last two moves; he is going all out for a K-side attack. Reuben Fine stated
that objectively the last two moves bad because they are premature "and can
therefore be repulsed." The evidence does not support that opinion because
statistically white has a roughly even chance of success and the engine
evaluation is dead equal at 0.00.} O-O {Napier plans to meet Lasker's K-side
attack by countering in the center/} 9. g5 {Fine did not comment on this move,
but it is the one that is premature and in practice black does a little better
than white. Usual is 9.Bg2 although equally good is 9.Qd2} Ne8 {This looks a
bit artificial, but it's not bad. However, he had better chances playing 9///
Nh5 even thogh 9...Nd7 is the most popular continuation.} 10. h4 Nc7 11. f4 e5
12. Nde2 {There is no time for this passive retreat. White should have
continued aggressively.} (12. Nxc6 bxc6 13. fxe5 Bxe5 14. Qf3 Ne6 {but even
here black has a perfectly satisfactory game.}) 12... d5 {Many commentators in
bygone days have voiced opinins on the next few moves, but Napier;s move is
not the best and Lasker's next move equalizes.} (12... f5 {This counter
against white's center is not intuitive, but it's the one that keeps a small
edge after} 13. h5 fxe4 14. Nxe4 d5 {and white has only one move that keeps
his "attack" going...} 15. Nf6+ Bxf6 16. gxf6 Qxf6 17. hxg6 hxg6 18. Qd2 exf4
19. Bxf4 Ne6 20. Bg3 Qxb2) 13. exd5 Nd4 {The old commentators passed pver this
move in silence/ The labyrinth of complications are enormous, but black's game
now becomes inferior.} (13... exf4 {After this black's pieces spring to life.}
14. Bxf4 Nb4 15. Bg2 Bg4 16. d6 Ne6 17. O-O Rc8 {with the initiative.}) 14.
Nxd4 {White has two pieces under attack, the N and the B on e3 so he must lose
on of them.} Nxd5 (14... exd4 15. Bxd4 Re8+ 16. Be2 Bg4 17. Bxg7 Bxe2 18. Nxe2
Kxg7 {and white is two Ps up.}) 15. Nf5 {This surprising move gives white the
advantage, but one that os not evaluated at more than a Pawn.} Nxc3 {An
equally surprising reply.} (15... gxf5 {loses to} 16. Qxd5) 16. Qxd8 Rxd8 17.
Ne7+ {Fine and Reinfeld noted that Napier deserves great credit for having
calculated that he can still maintain the material balance. That is true, but
in this position white stands better.} Kh8 {The best move. Years later the
strong Austrian master Georg Marco (1863-1923) pointed out that we can
appreciate the depth of Napier's play when we note that white now seems to be
without a good move.} (17... Kf8 {runs into} 18. Bc5 {and white has a decisive
advantahe. For example...} Ne4 19. Ba3 Be6 20. fxe5 b6 {Hoping to get in ...
Nc5 blocking the B, but...} 21. Nc6+ Kg8 22. Bd3 Nc5 23. Nxd8 Rxd8 {White is
up the exchange and a P.}) 18. h5 {Fine and Reinfeld give this a ! stating
that it give the game a whole new turn because black is now threatened with a
crushing attack on his King. To that end white could also have played the
equally good 18.f5} (18. Nxc8 {is met by} exf4 19. Bxf4 Raxc8 20. Bd3 Na4 21.
O-O Nxb2 {and black is better.}) 18... Re8 19. Bc5 (19. f5 {was stronger.} gxf5
20. Nxc8 Nd5 21. Nd6 Nxe3 22. Nxe8 Rxe8 {White has a small material advantage
(R vs,N+P).}) 19... gxh5 {Marco: "Is it not queer that Napier avoids 19...exf4
which would remove the attack on his (g-Pawn), protect the N and increase the
scope of his (R on e8) and (B on g7)? Fine and Reinfeld comment that hhis
question deserves careful study.KPxP):} (19... exf4 {Marxo was correct as thcs
keeps the balance.} 20. Bc4 b6 21. hxg6 fxg6 22. Kf1 Bf5 23. Nxf5 gxf5 24. g6
h6 25. bxc3 bxc5 {and Stockfish evaluates the position as perfectly equal. In
Shootouts white scoared +0 -1 =4.}) 20. Bc4 {[%mdl 8192] No comment from Fine
and Horowitz or Marco on this move, only Stockfish which gives it a question
mark and evaluates the position as clearly beter for black (2.5 Pawns!).} (20.
bxc3 {gets a "!" and it's white who has a bit over a one Pawn advantage; he
has a N vs. one P so black has some small compensation.} Bf8 21. Bb5 Rxe7 22.
Bxe7 Bxe7 23. Rxh5 {White is the exchange up.}) 20... exf4 {Again, the
commentators are silent, but this is question mark worthy as white has the
advantage.} (20... Ne4 {This move leaves black with a sizeable advantage.} 21.
Bxf7 Bg4 22. Bxe8 Rxe8 23. Bb4 a5 24. Ba3 exf4 25. O-O f3 26. Nd5 Bd4+ 27. Kh2
Be5+ 28. Kg1 f2+ 29. Kg2 h4 {and black is winning. For example...} 30. Rh1 h3+
31. Rxh3 Bxh3+ 32. Kxh3 Rg8 33. Be7 Nxg5+ 34. Bxg5 Rxg5 35. Rf1 Rg3+ 36. Kh4
Rg1 37. Ne3 Bf4 38. Rxf2 Bg3+) 21. Bxf7 Ne4 {This is the final error. White
now has a decisive advantage.} (21... Bg4 {White is sbetter after this, but at
least black is still in the game.} 22. bxc3 Bxc3+ 23. Kf2 Red8 24. Rab1 Rd2+
25. Kg1 Rad8 26. Bxh5 Rd1+ 27. Rxd1 Rxd1+ 28. Kg2 Rxh1 29. Bxg4 Rc1 {The
position is complicated and white;s advantage leans more towards theoretical
than practical.}) 22. Bxe8 Bxb2 {White has a significant maerial advantage
which is decisive.} 23. Rb1 Bc3+ 24. Kf1 Bg4 25. Bxh5 Bxh5 26. Rxh5 Ng3+ 27.
Kg2 Nxh5 28. Rxb7 a5 29. Rb3 Bg7 30. Rh3 Ng3 31. Kf3 Ra6 32. Kxf4 Ne2+ 33. Kf5
Nc3 34. a3 Na4 35. Be3 {Black resigned.} (35. Be3 h6 36. g6 Rf6+ 37. Kg4 Bf8
38. Rxh6+ Bxh6 39. Bxh6 Rxg6+ 40. Nxg6+) 1-0
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