It was almost like the white pieces forced the king back to their camp, as a prisoner or something, before execution.
Lasker - Thomas, London 1912
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Apr 4, 2013
0
#5
The most famous of all King Hunts, annotated from King plays...
Howard Staunton would be proud!
No commment on the controversial last move? Was it really Kd2, or was it 0-0-0?
One of the seven great mysteries.
Apr 4, 2013
0
#8
Well, Lasker missed better moves that would have mated earlier, so I think he missed the clever O-O-O (pointed out by other annotators) and moved the king to d2 instead. I guess I would have to defer to Winter for the last word.
Important to know if you play the Dutch as I do. I play Nimzovich's 4...b6 instead and try to castle long to avoid just the sort of attack Lasker got.
the controversial last move is indeed controversial
judging from my guts I agree with kevinfromthechesswebsite that it didn't even take place (see the above video at 5:30)
and judging from the same guts I guess lasker would have castled if given the chance. how often can you mate by castling?
Dec 5, 2015
0
#11
Hi Bill,
This may be a minor point, but it may be worth noting that the move order that you have given for this game may not be accurate, at least it is not the move order given by Edward Lasker himself in his Chess for Fun & Chess for Blood (1942). In chapter 6, page 117 Lasker gives the move order as follows:
1.d2-d4 (Lasker actually used "English Decriptive" notation in his book) f7-f5 2.Ng1-f3 e7-e6 3.Nb1-c3 Ng8-f6 4.Bc1-g5 Bf8-e7 5.Bg5xf6 Be7xf6 and only now 6.e2-e4
(He apparently did not play the Staunton Gambit: 1.d4 f5 2.e4!?)
6...f5xe4 7.Nc3xe4 reaching the position given after White's 7th move in your version.
Lasker did agree with you on the last move 18.Ke1-d2#.
Edward Winter gives a fairly thorough presentation regarding the move order and other questions about this game at this link:
http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/extra/laskerthomas.html
It seems that Winter's article supports Lasker as not playing the Staunton Gambit, but there may be a question about the move order given in CFF&CFB!?
In any case, thank you for the many contributions that you have made on behalf of the history of the game we love.
What do you think?
DrM
Dec 5, 2015
0
#12
I think you are correct. I had to find this from some other source.
Chessgames.com also has a different order
http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1259009
Bill
In Bronstein's chess learning book, I've seen a variation (not actually played) where White checkmates with kingside castle: 14. f2-f4+ Kg5xf4 (if 14...Kg5-h4, then 15. g2-g3+ Kh4-h3 16. Bd3-f1#) 15. g2-g3+ Kf4-f3 16. 0-0#
Here is one of the best miniature games ever played. It was played by Edward Lasker against Sir George Thomas. It involved a queen sac and getting the enemy king all the way down the board to mate. Annoatations by Shakespeare.