Endings are hard as the following game shows. At one time Isaac Kashdan was one of the best players in the world and he knew endgames. So did Al Horowitz who, himself, was at one time a world class player. Yet the complications of this ending were too much for Kashdan and in his annotation Horowitz missed a lot. The ending was something only Stockfish can calculate; it just couldn’t be done over the board. You have to feel sorry for Lasker; he really didn’t deserve to lose this game!
The game was played in the 1944 New York Metropolitan Chgess League which was won by the Manhattan Chess Club. When all adjourned games were finished, the final score was an overwhelming 62.5-5.5 score for Manhattan.
The individual match between long time rivals, Manhattan and Marshall, was much closer than anticipated. On paper Manhattan should have won by a large margin as their team was much stronger, particularly on the lower boards.
[Event "Metropolitan League Match, New York"]
[Site ""]
[Date "1944.03.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Edward Lasker (Marshall CC)"]
[Black "Isaac Kashdan (Manhattan CC)"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D19"]
[Annotator "Stockfish 17.1"]
[PlyCount "142"]
[EventDate "1944.??.??"]
[Source "Chess Review, Ma"]
{D18: Slav Defense} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 d5 {Rgusm the Slav, isoreferred
by some because it does not shut in the light squared B.} 4. Nf3 dxc4 5. a4 {
This move constrains black;s Q-side Ps and is by far the most popularm bur
it's not the only option...white has played just about every plausible move.}
Bf5 6. e3 e6 7. Bxc4 Bb4 8. O-O O-O 9. Ne5 {At the time the "Chessplayer's
Bible" (i.e. Modern Chess Openings) recommended 9.Qe2, but it has been
supplanted by the text becuse it affords white better attacking chances.} Nbd7
10. f4 (10. Nxd7 Qxd7 11. f3 Rfd8 12. Qb3 a5 13. Rd1 Bg6 14. e4 {with equal
chances. Pashikian,A (2614)-Mikaelyan,A (2350) Yerevan 2015}) 10... Nb6 {
Also good was 10...c5} 11. Bd3 {On one hand this move eliminates black's well
placed B, but on the other hand ot violates a general principle that when you
want to attack you should avoid the exchange of pieces. 11.Be2 also supports
his intended g4 and so is preferable.} Nbd5 {Black is not comcerned about
doubled f-Pawns becsuse they would constrain white's activity.} (11... Bxd3 12.
Nxd3 Be7 13. Kh1 Nbd5 14. Re1 Nxc3 15. bxc3 Ne4 {with a solid position. Colpe,
M (1962)-Schubert,S (1788) Willingen 2005}) 12. g4 {Aggressive play!} Bxd3 13.
Qxd3 c5 14. Na2 {Also good was 14.g5 going all out for an attack, but Lasker
apparently changes his mind and takes a different course.} a5 15. e4 {This is
actually better than advancing the g-Pawn. Lasker avoided playing g5 because
he believed that 15.e4 would yield better results. Afyer the game he thoughtm
as did Al Horowitz, that 15.g5 was better. It's not.} (15. g5 Nd7 16. Nxd7 Qxd7
17. e4 {White still needs to play this.} Ne7 {and there is no K-side attack
and the position offers equal chances.}) 15... Nb6 16. Nxb4 axb4 17. dxc5 Qxd3
$1 18. Nxd3 Nxa4 19. Re1 Rfd8 {There was no reason to avoid 19...Nxg4. The
text allows a surprising response.} 20. c6 bxc6 (20... Rxd3 21. cxb7 Rb8 22.
Rxa4 Nxg4 23. Ra8 Rdd8 24. Rxb8 Rxb8 25. Rd1 Kf8 26. Rd7 {White's position
looks much more dangerous than it is; the R on the 7th rank, usually a potent
weapon. turn out to be impotent here.} Nf6 27. Rc7 Ne8 28. Rd7 Nf6 {etc. If
the R leaves the 7th rank the position is drawn.}) 21. Nxb4 Nc5 {[%mdl 2048]}
22. Rxa8 Rxa8 23. Nxc6 Nxg4 24. b4 {Fortunately for Kashdanm he has enough
resources to cope with this passed P.} Nd3 25. Rd1 Ngf2 26. Rd2 {[%mdl 8192]
This is a tactical error that loses the f-Pawn and gives black what turns out
to be a winning P-majority on the K-side. White's passed b-Pawn can be dealt
with.} (26. Rf1 {also costs a P, but after} Nxe4 27. b5 Ndc5 {there is just no
way to make any progress against black's Ns.}) 26... Nh3+ 27. Kg2 Nhxf4+ 28.
Kf3 Ra1 (28... g5 {Mobilizing his Ps should win, but the road to victory is
much too complicated to visualize over the board! For example...} 29. b5 Nxc1
30. b6 Ra3+ 31. Kg4 f6 32. Rd8+ Kg7 33. Rd7+ Kh6 34. b7 Ncd3 35. Kf3 (35. b8=Q
Nf2#) 35... Ne5+ 36. Kf2 Nxd7 {wins easily.}) 29. Bb2 Rb1 30. Ne5 {[%mdl 8192]
Thus ius a losing move...or it should have been.} (30. b5 {This leads to
enormous complications with n uncertain outcome. Perfect play would likely
lead to a draw. With less than perfect play the game could go either way.} g5 (
30... Nxb2 31. Rd8#) (30... Rxb2 31. Rxb2 Nxb2 32. b6 {wins}) 31. b6 Nxb2 32.
Rd8+ Kg7 33. b7 Nc4 34. b8=Q Rxb8 35. Rxb8 Nd2+ 36. Ke3 Nf1+ 37. Kf2 Nxh2 38.
Kg3 Nf1+ 39. Kf2 Nd2 {The position is equal, but if anybody has winning
chances it's black.}) 30... Rxb2 31. Rxb2 {This position is amazing,
astonishing, incredible and sensational! Who wouldn't play Kashdan's next
move?!} Nxb2 {...probably everybody, but taking the R throws away the win.} (
31... Nxe5+ 32. Kg3 (32. Kxf4 Nd3+) 32... Nh5+ 33. Kg2 Nf6 34. b5 Nc4 35. Rb4
Nb6 {Analysis demonstrated the win which too nearly a hundred moves.}) 32. Kxf4
{[%mdl 4096] Needless to say the ending favors black, but that's not to say
that white is lost. There is a lot of play in the position, but it's white who
has the harder task.} f6 33. Nc6 Kf7 34. Ke3 {Somewhat better would have been
34.e4} e5 35. Na5 Ke6 36. Kd2 Na4 37. Nc4 Kd7 38. Kc2 Kc6 39. Kb3 $2 {This
reasonable looking move should have lost.} (39. Ne3 Nb6 40. Kc3 Kb5 41. Nf5 g6
42. Nd6+ Kc6 43. Ne8 Nd7 44. Kc4 Nb6+ 45. Kc3 Nd7 {Neither side can maker any
progress.}) 39... Nb6 40. Na5+ Kb5 41. Nb7 g6 {This one last bit of
preparation before the final phase shou;d have allowed white to eqalize.} (
41... Nc4 {Threatens to win the e-Pawn with ...Nd2+, so...} 42. Nc5 Nd6 43. Kc3
h5 {The idea is to get a passed P in the K-side.} 44. h3 g5 {Now white's K
must hurry to the K-sdie ans his P falls.} 45. Kd2 Kxb4 46. Nd3+ Kb3 47. Ke3
Kc4 48. Nf2 Kc3 49. Nd3 Nc4+ 50. Ke2 Kd4 {wins}) 42. Nd6+ {Excellent! Black
has to withdraw to defend his Ps.} Kc6 43. Ne8 $1 Nd7 44. Kc4 f5 45. exf5 gxf5
{This ending is now a draw.} 46. b5+ Kb6 {aiming for ...f4.} 47. Nd6 f4 48. Kd5
{[%mdl 8192] This gives black bew chances. Correct was 48.Ne4} (48. Ne4 Ka5 49.
Nd2 Ka4 50. Ne4) 48... f3 {Now white loses his one asset...the b-Pawn.} 49.
Nc4+ Kxb5 50. Ne3 f2 51. Ke4 Kc5 52. Nf1 Kc4 {Black's f-Pawn is dooned, but
white is in no hurry to capture it. Instead, he tries to maintain the good
position of his K.} 53. Ne3+ Kb3 54. Kf3 Kc3 55. Kxf2 Kd3 56. Nd5 {Lasker must
have thought he had a draw here because he called this the decisive mistake.
He believed the correct procedure would have been to go after the h-Pawn with
his K and sacrifice his N for the e-Pawn.} (56. Kf3 e4+ {is much stronger.} (
56... Nf6 {Lasker and Horowitz} 57. Nf5 e4+ 58. Kf4 h6 {To keep white's K from
approaching. Horowitz ended his analysis here, but black is winning.} 59. Ke5
Ng4+ 60. Kf4 e3 61. Nxe3 Nxe3 {This ending is a win for black/}) 57. Kf4 Ne5
58. Ng2 Ng6+ 59. Kf5 e3 60. Kf6 e2 61. Kg5 Kd2 62. h4 Ne7 63. Kh6 (63. h5 Nd5
64. Nh4 Ke3 65. Ng2+ Kf2 66. Kh6 Kxg2 67. Kxh7 Nf6+) 63... Nf5+ 64. Kxh7 Ne3 {
and the P queens}) 56... e4 {The rest is, as they say, a matter of technique...
for the big boys. For the rest of us , well...} 57. Ke1 Kd4 58. Nf4 Ke3 59.
Ng2+ Kf3 60. Kf1 Ne5 61. Nh4+ Ke3 62. Nf5+ Kd3 63. h3 e3 64. Ng3 Nf3 65. Ne2
Kd2 66. Nf4 h5 {[%mdl 512]} 67. Ng2 h4 68. Nf4 Ng5 69. Ng2 e2+ 70. Kg1 Nxh3+
71. Kh2 Ng5 {White resigned, It's mate in 8} (71... Ng5 72. Kh1 h3 73. Ne1 Kxe1
74. Kg1 h2+ 75. Kg2 h1=Q+ 76. Kxh1 Kf2 77. Kh2 {Don't play 77...e1Q Stalemate!}
Kf3 78. Kh1 Kg3 (78... e1=Q+ 79. Kh2 Qg3+ 80. Kh1 Qg2#) 79. Kg1 e1=R#) 0-1
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