"Thus it is impossible to acheave Lasker's ideal defensive set-up if White plays energetically. After White has played e4, Black's bishops, the one at f5 directly and the one at d6 indirectly, come under attack from his pieces and pawns.
"Practice has shown that the black bishop at f5 must be removed from that square in order to lessen the effect of the white e-pawn's advance. In the notes we have examined 8...h6 and 9...h6 (with the idea of withdrawing the bishop to h7). In this case, largely because of the position of the other black bishop at d6, the games have continued with advantage to White, and nowadays this variation is rarely played." --- Osnos
4 - Lasker System I (2.c4) A) 7...Bd6
1.Nf3 d5 2.c4 c6 3.b3 Bf5 4.g3 Nf6 5.Bg2 e6 6.O-O Nbd7 7.Bb2
A) 7...Bd6 8.d3
"From time to time 8.d4 is encountered. This possibility also belongs to the Reti Opening, though it formally takes the game into related openings."
Stein vs Nei
Lebedev vs Flohr
8...O-O
Romanovsky vs Rabinovich
Euwe vs van den Bosch
Boros vs May
Donchenko vs Klovan **
Kolarov vs Padevsky
9.Nbd2
Muller vs Lilienthal
Katetov vs Tomovic
9...e5
Kevitz vs Capablanca
Ivkov vs Ree
Gurevich vs Kuperman
Taimanov vs Kovacs
Petrosian vs Mnatsakanian
10.cxd5 cxd5
Reti vs Lasker
11.e4 Bg4
Ribli vs Lengyel
12.exd5 Nxd5 13.Nc4
13 moves
"White has the advantage.
"Thus it is impossible to acheave Lasker's ideal defensive set-up if White plays energetically. After White has played e4, Black's bishops, the one at f5 directly and the one at d6 indirectly, come under attack from his pieces and pawns.
"Practice has shown that the black bishop at f5 must be removed from that square in order to lessen the effect of the white e-pawn's advance. In the notes we have examined 8...h6 and 9...h6 (with the idea of withdrawing the bishop to h7). In this case, largely because of the position of the other black bishop at d6, the games have continued with advantage to White, and nowadays this variation is rarely played." --- Osnos