Two years later, in the 13th game of his first world championship match with Wilhelm Steinitz, he returned to 5.d4.
Lasker - Steinitz
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.d4 exd4 6.Qxd4 Qxd4 7.Nxd4 c5!?
The first example of this move in ChessBase's 2020 Mega database. It is still respected today, but is second in popularity to 7...Bd7.
8.Ne2
8.Nb3 is also often seen, but the knight then becomes a target for a black queenside expansion.
8...Bd7 9.Nbc3 0-0-0 10.Bf4 Bc6
10...Bd6?! 11.Bxd6 cxd6 undoubles Black's c pawns, but gives him a weak pawn on the half-open d file.
11.0-0 Nf6 12.f3 Be7 13.Ng3 g6 14.Rfe1!?
A 'mysterious' rook move. Competing on the d file with R(either)d1 is natural.
14...Nd7 15.Nd1 Nb6 16.Nf1 Rd7 17.Be3
It is hard to guess what Lasker intended with his minor-piece manoeuvrings, but they hardly helped his position.
17...Rhd8 18.b3!?
The choice of Stockfish10 and Komodo10, but it allows Black to more-or-less forcefully undouble his c pawns, after which Black, having the bishop-pair on a board with an open centre, must be better. This suggests that while White has not played any out-and-out bad moves, his general plan (or non-plan) of seemingly dithering, has been sub-standard.
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| Black to make his 18th move |
*****
*****
*****
*****
18...c4! 19.Bxb6?!
Charles Devidé in A Memorial To William Steinitz, reprinted by Dover in 1974 as William Steinitz: Selected Chess Games, states: "Nf2 was much better. Lasker, however, did not discern the stratagem in its fullness." The engines also dislike the text, but reckon 19.c3 gives the best chance of holding the game.
19...cxb6 20.bxc4
The engines suggest 20.Nde3 cxb3 21.cxb3, when Black still has doubled queenside pawns, but his pieces are much more active than White's.
20...Bb4 21.c3 Bc5+ 22.Kh1 Rd3 23.Rc1 a5
White is horribly passive, but the engines reckon a better way to exploit this is to immediately probe on the kingside, their main line running 23...f5 24.Nb2 R3d7 25.exf5 Ba3 26.Re2 gxf5, when Black remains more active.
24.Nde3 f5 25.exf5 gxf5 26.h3
Devidé: "If 26.Nxf5 (then) 26...Rxf3 27.N5f3 Rf2 wins." In this line. 27.Nd4 is better, but 27...Rf2 28.Nxc6 bxc6 undoubles Black's pawns and leaves Black with the more-active pieces.
26...Rg8 27.Nd5
Nxf5 is still met by …Rxf3!
The text, which gives back White's extra pawn, is the engines' choice, but maybe 27.Kh2!? offered more hope. The engines continue 27...Kb8 28.Kh1 Ka7 29.Kh2 (they again prefer to return the pawn with Nd5) Bd6+ 30.Kh1, at which point 30...Bf4 (Komodo10's 30...f4 is less convincing) 31.Rc2 Re8 32.Rce2 Rxc3 33.Nxf5 Rxe2 34.Rxe2 Rxc4 is clearly better for Black, despite his inferior pawn-structure, but White's protected passed pawn gives practical chances.
27...Bxd5 28.cxd5 Rxd5 29.Rcd1
The engines prefer the passive 29.Rc2, but Lasker presumably thought this unlikely to be a long-term solution.
29...Rxd1 30.Rxd1 f4 31.Kh2
The engines suggest giving up a pawn with 31.g3!? fxg3 32.Kg2, one point being that ...Re8, which proves so strong in the game, is met by Nxg3, covering the e2 entry square, but Black presumably gets on with advancing on the queenside.
31...Re8 32.a4 Kc7 33.h4 Kc6 34.c4 Bb4 35.Kh3 Re1!
Rook and bishop usually work together better than rook and knight, but here lone bishop versus lone knight is an even bigger advantage as there are rival pawn-majorities, which favours the longer-ranged bishop.
36.Rxe1 Bxe1 37.Kg4 Kc5 38.Kxf4 Kxc4 39.Ke4!?
Devidé: "It is questionable whether h5, followed by g4, would have offered a better fighting chance." The engines prefer Lasker's move.
39...Bxh4 40.g3 Bd8 41.Ne3+ Kb4 42.Kd3 Kxa4 (0-1, 55 moves).
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