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Emanuel Lasker vs Geza Maroczy
New York (1924), New York, NY USA, rd 20, Apr-13
French Defense: Winawer. Maroczy-Wallis Variation (C18)  ·  1-0

8
7
6
5
4
3
2
a
1
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
White to move.
ANALYSIS [x]
1-0

rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 1
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Kibitzer's Corner
Mar-24-05  Rama: This game is annotated by Alekhine in the tournament book, "NY 1924". That book made a big impression on me.
Mar-25-05
Premium Chessgames Member
  An Englishman: Good Evening: Rama, this game might have made a big impression on Alekhine. Playing through the moves, I was struck at how Lasker's combined attacks down the Queen side, center and King side seemed to anticipate Alekhine's peak years, when he would launch attacks over the entire board.

It makes me wonder; how much did working on this book improved Alekhine's game?

Mar-25-05  asuka: i want to ask.. on move 10 of black, why not take the center pawn with a knight?
Mar-25-05  asuka: sorry if my questions may appear stupid to some of you people, im a begginer in chess but i really like his game. i want ask why 5.a3? doesn't it ruin the pawns on the queen side?
Mar-25-05  Rama: 5. a3 puts the question to the Bishop whose convenient path of retreat to e7 is now cut off. If it goes to a4 then the pawn c5 is without protection. Look at black's pawns -- they are on white squares. Thus the plan is to force the exchange of the good B creating a slight plus for white.

10. ... Nxe5 would be very unwise. After the exchange, black is undeveloped with Queen and King in the center. 12. Re1, 13. Bb5+ and 14. Qxd4 get the attack rolling.

Jul-13-06  RookFile: In this game, 7. Qg4 is a good move.
Jun-15-07  New Kasparov: why not 8..Qxc3+?
Jun-15-07  Calli: 8...Qxc3+ is playable, but White gets good play for the pawn. See Aitken vs P N Wallis, 1949
Jun-15-07
Premium Chessgames Member
  Pawn and Two: <New Kasparov: why not 8...Qxc3+?>

Alekhine in the New York 1924 tournament book states: <Black rightly prefers to finish his development first, inasmuch as even a later protection of the pawn would exclude every prospect for an attack on the part of White. The game, even after the first few moves, has assumed a very distinct character.>

Jun-15-07  Wolfgang01: Asuka: There are never stupid questions, only stupid answers!!

Sorry for my late answer. But two years ago I had no www …

Lasker had a great heart as chess-fighter. In NY 1924 he won before Capablanca, who had taken his world-championship.

Jul-04-07
Premium Chessgames Member
  plang: This game was played in round 20 and was instrumental in Lasker finishing first ahead of capablanca. 5..cd isn't played much anymore. White gives up a pawn but gets a great attacking position. 16 Bc3 allows Maroczy some interesting defensive possiblilites because the bishop is unprotected; 16 Bc1 may have been better. Maroczy's 20..g6 and 21..Nb6 is a really clever defense leading to a clear advantage for black. 24..Qe7 was an error; giving up the c file. Alekhine recommends 24..Na4 25 Rc1..b5. Pachman said that 24..Rfc8 also would have maintained an advantage for black. One of the ideas behind 32 Nd4 was that 32..Qe5 33 Nf3..Qd6 34 Bf4 follwed by 35 Be5+ wins the exhange. In this line Alekhine does not mention 33..Qe2 34 Bc3+..Nc3 35 Re2..Ne2 which looks like it might be playable for black. Neither Alekhine or Pachman mention why Maroczy didn't play 32..Nd4 which avoids having his kingside pawns fractured. 35 Qa7? was a mistake by Lasker that should have cost him the game after 35..d4!(not 35..Qe5? 36 Be3!) but instead of following up with 36..Rc2 which would have led to a powerful attack for Maroczy he played instead 36..Qe5?. After either 41..f4+ or 43..Re6 Maroczy still would have had drawing chances.
Oct-15-07  Rama: I don't like Maroczy's 9. ... Ng6. The piece stays there for a while doing little, then goes back to e7 and finally lands on its proper post, f5.

The French is all about the d4-square. This is why the move 5. ... cxd4, is important: black conquers d4 right away.

This is why the move 9. ... Nbc6, is better than Ng6. Note that white has not yet castled, so 10. b5 Nxe5, 11. Nxe5 Qxe5+, is a check and thus playable.

After both players castle, then ... Nf5, is available. I have even played a provocative ... h5, to protect the Nf5 from white's g-pawn, and won the game.

Nov-11-07  Ulhumbrus: 32..Qd7 allows White to win a pawn by 33 Nxf5 + exf5 34 Qd4 threatening 35 both e6+ and 35 Qxa7. 32...Qb6 is one way to avoid that.
Nov-13-07  Rama: Now I'm looking again, you have hit upon an important juncture in the game. 31. ... Nc3, is interesting.

If the Bishop takes, black penetrates on the file. If white plays the threatened Ra2 to c2, black continues onward with Ne2. Now the push d5-d4 suddenly opens the long diagonal direct to the white King, with Qb7 available.

May-16-15  Howard: As an earlier comment points out, Lasker should damn well have lost this game !

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