It was still played, especially at club level, but attention focused on what was already the main line of the French Classical: 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7.
Lasker helped in this process by turning up on the black side of the line, continuing to play it well into the later stages of his career.
Ossip Bernstein - Emanuel Lasker
Zürich 1934
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e5 Nfd7 6.Bxe7 Qxe7 7.Qg4!?
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Be7 5.e5 Nfd7 6.Bxe7 Qxe7 7.Qg4!?
The move 7.Qd2 was popular in the early days of this line but today 7.f4 is established as the main try.
7...0-0 8.Nf3 c5 9.Bd3 f5!?
The most-popular move in ChessBase's 2020 Mega database, but strong players in modern times have been more likely to play 9..h6 or 9...cxd4, moves preferred by the analysis engines Stockfish11 and Komodo11.01.
10.exf6
The engines like 10.Qg5!?
10...Rxf6!?
Hans Johner had played 10...Nxf6 two rounds earlier, losing to Walter Henneberger.
11.Qh4 Nf8 12.dxc5 Qxc5 13.0-0 Nc6 14.Rae1 Bd7 15.Ne5!?
Bernstein seeks to blockade the black central pawn-duo, as taught by Nimzowitsch, but the blockade cannot be maintained. The engines suggest White should be content for now to keep the pawns under restraint, for example with 15.Qg5.
15...Nxe5 16.Rxe5 Qb6
16...Ng6 17.Bxg6 Rxg6 also looks reasonable for Black.
17.Re3 Be8!?
A well-known manoeuvre in the French - the light-square bishop seeks activity from h5 or, in this case, g6.
Bad is 17...Qxb2? 18.Rb1 Qa3 19.Nxd5!
18.Rg3 Bg6 19.Qg4 Rd8
Could Lasker here have grabbed the b2 pawn?
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| Position after 19.Qg4 |
*****
*****
*****
*****
*****
Yes, according to the engines, who give 19...Qxb2!? 20.Rb1 Qxc3 21.Bxg6 Qc7, reckoning White does not have sufficient compensation for the pawn.
20.b3 Rd7 21.Na4!?
Hitting the black queen, but driving it to a better square.
21...Qd6 22.Rf3 Bxd3
Starting the central pawns rolling with 22...e5!? looks promising.
23.cxd3!?
This creates a weakness, but seeks to hold up the black central pawns.
23...Rh6 24.Qg3 e5 25.Re3 b5 26.Nc3 Ng6?
If 26...d4, White replies 27.Ne4. However that is better than the text, which lets White seize the initiative.
27.d4 exd4?
The engines give 27...Qe7, but much prefer White.
28.Nxb5 Qc5 29.Qb8+?
The wrong check. After 29.Re8+ Kf7 29.Rfe1!, grabbing the knight with 29...Qxb5? loses to 30.Qf3+. The engines reckon Black's best is 29...Nf8, but then White can play 30.Nxd4 as 30...Qxd4 loses to 31.Rxf8+ Kxf8 32.Qb8+ Kf7 33.Qe8+ Kf6 34.Qe6+ Kg5 35.Re5+ etc.
29...Nf8 30.Rf3?
Bernstein had to find 30.b4! Qxb4 31.Rb3 with roughly equal chances.
30...Rb6 31.Qe8 Rf6 32.Rxf6 gxf6 33.Qe2 a6
The white knight is trapped.
34.Nxd4 Qxd4 35.Qxa6
White has two connected passed pawns for the knight, but they are a long way from queening. It is not simple for Black, however, as his king is exposed.
35...Qe5 36.Qd3 Ne6 37.g3
Objectively best, according to the engines, is 37.Qg3?!, but exchanging queens in a position such as this is tantamount to giving up.
37...d4 38.Rc1 Qd5 39.h4 Kg7 40.Re1 Nc5 41.Qd1 d3 42.b4 Ne4 43.Qf3 Nc3 44.Qg4+ Kf7 0-1
Lasker's technique in keeping his pieces (apart from the king) centralised while gradually advancing the d pawn has left Bernstein without counterplay.
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