Chess Puzzle #82045

CHESS PUZZLE #82045

Added by:	aidanbh
Added on:	05-Nov-12
Description:	Lasker versus Thomas, 1922. Black's last move (Qe7) was a mistake: he should have taken Bxe5 followed by g6, giving Black the advantage.
More solutions:	kingdawar
Difficulty:	online chess puzzle #82045
Attempts:	17
Solved:	12 (70%)


White to move, mate in 6

Comments: (8) » Last

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kingdawar
05-Nov-12, 16:49

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puzzle #5967 is the original

aidanbh
05-Nov-12, 17:26

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Response to kingdawar

I think that Puzzle 5967 (a long way back) may be incorrect, as it is missing a move (Nc6). It is difficult for White to end up in its position if Black has not had a corresponding number of moves. 1.d4 f5, 2.c4 e6, 3.Nf3 Nf6, 4.Bg5 Be7, 5.Bxf6 Bxf6, 6.Nc3 O-O, 7.e4 fe, 8.Ne4 b6, 9.Bd3 Be7, 10.Ne5 Nc6 (book-line so far), 11.Qh5 Qe7 is the game that I have got. Sine the original was never written down, several "memory" versions exist, including one that followed with 12.Qxh7 check Kxh7, 13.Nf6 dbl check Kh6, 14.Neg4 check Kg5, 15.h4 check Kf4, 16.g3 check Kf3... and then... 17.Be2 check Kg2, 18.Rh2 check Kg1, 19.O-O-O mate. Another version has 15.f4 check Kxf4 (15...Kh4, 16.g3 check Kh2, 17.Bf1 mate), 16.g3 check Kf3, 17.O-O mate. But you must forgive me if I have not looked through all 82,044 previous puzzles (and no one seems to complain about the DOZENS of times that we come across the Philidor's Legacy, or Smothered Mate, puzzle).

kingdawar
05-Nov-12, 17:42

Comment deleted on 05-Nov-12, 17:55.

kingdawar
05-Nov-12, 17:55

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I based this on Edward Winter's extensive research provided here... www.chesshistory.com but indeed I might still not be correct.

aidanbh
05-Nov-12, 18:28

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Response

It is good that you relied on a source. I personally used "Lasker's Best Games", edited by Lasker himself. But even then, when Golombek cited the game in around 1940, for which he got Lasker's approval, Lasker himself could not remember which line he used to finish the game and which was his alternative analysis. Winter, unfortunately, is not a reliable source. When I was Director of Play and Librarian at the Auckland Chess Centre, I went through around six of Winter's books in our library, and found numerous mistakes in them. The errors were so many that we eventually got rid of all of his books. In the end, it does not really matter: the solution is slick and cute one way or the other.

kingdawar
06-Nov-12, 04:02

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Did Lasker include this in his best games? This is Edward Lasker, not world champion Emanuel

aidanbh
06-Nov-12, 09:31

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I can't recall. It's been decades since I first came across this puzzle and how it came to be. In the end, it still does not matter. Even the website you mention gives several possible options for its genesis, and this adds to its mystique. Let us not demystify it by trying to solve its source. Essentially, after an extra 72-odd thousand puzzles on this site, it was worth resurrecting.

kingdawar
06-Nov-12, 09:32

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It's resurrected every other month in all kinds of forms

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CHESS PUZZLE #82045