CHESS STRATEGY BY EDWARD LASKER

translated by J. Du Mont

1915

with 167 diagrams

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EXPLANATION OF FORMAT USED FOR DIAGRAMS

TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE

AUTHOR'S PREFACE

PART I

I. INTRODUCTORY

Rules of the Game

Notation

II. HINTS FOR BEGINNERS

Elementary Combinations

Simple Calculation

Complications

III. GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF CHESS STRATEGY

Introductory

Balance of Attack and Defence

Mobility

IV. THE OPENING

Development of the Pieces

On Losing Moves

Examples of Practical Play

Pawn Play

Pawn Skeleton

The Centre

A. King's Pawn Games

B. Queen's Pawn Games

C. Irregular Openings

V. THE END-GAME

End-games with Pieces

Pawn Endings

Mixed Endings

END-GAMES FROM MASTER-PLAY

Teichmann-Blackburne (Berlin, 1897)

Ed. Lasker-Rotlewi (Hamburg, 1910)

Blackburne-Schlechter (Vienna, 1898)

Bird-Janowski (Hastings, 1895)

Steiner-Forgacz (Szekesfehervar, 1907)

Charousek-Heinrichsen (Cologne, 1898)

VI. THE MIDDLE GAME

General Remarks

Evolution of the Pawn Skeleton

Objects of Attack

"Backward" Pawns

On Fixing a Weakness

Weaknesses in a Pawn Position

Breaking up the King's Side

Doubled Pawns

Illustrations--

v. Scheve-Teichmann (Berlin, 1907)

Marshall-Burn (Ostend, 1907)

Manoeuvres of the Pieces Open Files and Diagonals

Example--

Fred. Lazard-Ed. Lasker (Paris, 1914)

PART II ILLUSTRATIVE GAMES FROM MASTER TOURNAMENTS

1. Tartakower-Burn (Carlsbad, 1911)

2. Leonhardt-Marshall (San Sebastian, 1911)

3. Spielmann-Prokes (Prag, 1908)

4. Tarrasch-Capablanca (San Sebastian, 1911)

4a. Howell-Michell (Cable Match, 1907)

4b. X. v. Y

5. Griffith-Gunston (London, 1902)

6. Mason-Gunsberg (New York, 1889)

7. Marshall-Tarrasch (Hamburg, 1910)

8. Blackburne-Em. Lasker (Petrograd, 1914)

9. Salwe-Marshall (Vienna, 1908)

10. Teichmann-Amateurs (Glasgow, 1902)

11. Schlechter-Janowski (Paris, 1900)

12. Teichmann-Rubinstein (Carlsbad, 1911)

13. Teichmann-Schlechter (Carlsbad, 1911)

14. Spielmann-Tarrasch (San Sebastian, 1912)

15. Aljechin-Niemzowitsch (Petrograd, 1914)

16. Yates-Gunsberg (Chester, 1914)

17. Berlin-Riga (1908-1909)

17a. Maroczy-Berger (Vienna, 1908)

18. Em. Lasker-Capablanca (Petrograd, 1914)

19. Ed. Lasker-Janowski (Scheveningen, 1913)

20. Ed. Lasker-Englund (Scheveningen, 1913)

21. Ed. Lasker-Aljechin (Scheveningen, 1913)

22. Forgacz-Tartakower (Petrograd, 1909)

23. Yates-Esser (Anglo-Dutch Match, 1914)

24. Atkins-Barry (Cable Match, 1910)

25. Em. Lasker-Tarrasch (Munich, 1908)

26. Capablanca-Blanco (Havanna, 1913)

27. Niemzowitsch-Tarrasch (San Sebastian, 1912)

28. Alapin-Rubinstein (Wilna, 1912)

29. Teichmann-Spielmann (Leipzig, 1914)

30. Tarrasch-Spielmann (Mannheim, 1914)

31. John-Janowski (Mannheim, 1914)

32. Ed. Laskcr-Mieses (Scheveningen, 1913)

33. Barasz-Mieses (Breslau, 1012)

34. Em. Lasker-Niemzowitsch (Petrograd, 1914)

35. Reti-Tartakower (Vienna, 1910)

36. Forgacz-E. Cohn (Petrograd, 1909)

37. Marshall-Capablanca (New York, 1909)

38. Rotlewi-Teichmann (Carlsbad, 1911)

38a. Rubinstein-Teichmann (Vienna, 1908)

39. Rotlewi-Rubinstein (Lodz, 1907)

40. Rubinstein-Capablanca (San Sebastian, 1911)

41. Niemzowitsch-Tarrasch (Petrograd, 1914)

41a. Em. Lasker-Bauer (Amsterdam, 1889)

42. Capablanca-Aljechin (Petrograd, 1913)

43. Capablanca-Bernstein (Petrograd, 1914)

44. Dus Chotimirski-Vidmar (Carlsbad, 1911)

45. Rubinstein-Spielmann (Pistyan, 1912)

46. Thomas-Ed. Lasker (London, 1912)

47. Tartakower-Asztalos (Budapest, 1913)

47a. Tartakower-Spielmann (Vienna, 1913)

47b. X v. Y

48. Blackburne-Niemzowitsch (Petrograd, 1914)

TABLE OF OPENINGS

A. King's Pawn Games

B. Queen's Pawn Games

C. Irregular Openings

EXPLANATION OF FORMAT USED IN DIAGRAMS

This e-text contains the 167 game diagrams that appear in the original book, all in the form of ASCII line drawings. The following is a key to the diagrams:

For chess pieces,

  R  =  Rook

  Kt =  Knight

  B  =  Bishop

  Q  =  Queen

  K  =  King

  P  =  Pawn

Black pieces have a # symbol to the left of them, while white pieces have a ^ symbol to the left of them. For example, #B is the Black bishop, while ^B is the white bishop. #Kt is the black knight, while ^Kt is the white knight. This will let the reader instantly tell by sight which pieces in the ASCII chess diagrams are black and which are white. Those who find these diagrams hard to read should feel free to set up them up on a game board using the actual pieces.

TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE

As the first edition of Edward Laskcr's CHESS STRATEGY was exhausted within a comparatively short time of its appearance, the author set himself the task of altering and improving the work to such an extent that it became to all intents and purposes a new book. I had the privilege of co-operating with him to a slight degree on that second edition, and was in consequence able to appreciate the tremendous amount of work he voluntarily took upon himself to do; I say voluntarily, because his publishers, anxious to supply the strong demand for the book, wished to reprint it as it stood.

A little later I undertook to translate this second edition into English for Messrs. Bell & Sons. Only a few months had elapsed, the tournaments at Petrograd, Chester, and Mannheim had taken place, several new discoveries had been made, and it is the greatest testimony to Edward Lasker's indefatigable devotion to the Art of Chess that I am able to say that this is not a translation of the second edition, but of what is practically a new book. It contains a new preface, a chapter for beginners, a new introduction, new variations.  Furthermore, a large number of new games have taken the place of old ones.

I have no doubt that any chess player who will take the trouble to study CHESS STRATEGY will spend many a pleasurable hour. Incidentally new vistas will be opened to him, and his playing strength increased to a surprising degree.

The author says in his preface that he appeals to the intelligence and not the memory of his readers. In my opinion, too, the student should above all try to improve his judgment of position.

Than the playing over of games contested by experts I can hardly imagine a greater or purer form of enjoyment.  Yet I must at the outset sound a note of warning against its being done superficially, and with a feverish expectation of something happening. Every move or combination of moves should be carefully weighed, and the student should draw his own conclusions and compare them with what actually happens in the game under examination.

This applies particularly to some of the critical positions set out in diagrams in the course of the exposition of the several games.

The reader would derive the greatest possible benefit from a prolonged study of such positions before seeking to know how the games proceed. After having formed his own opinion about the merits of a particular position, he...