Saturday, December 21

World Champion on tour: Dr. Lasker successfully concludes series of exhibitions

We present a final report on the tour by Dr. Lasker, the World Champion, who concluded his recent series of exhibitions with a performance in Stuttgart on the 19th inst.  Since his Prague exhibition in early December the Champion has made seven more stops - Königsberg, Berlin, Stettin, Kassel, Pforzheim, Freiburg im Breisgau, and Stuttgart - facing on average 25 opponents at each venue, and compiling the highly creditable score from 176 games of 158 victories and 16 draws, against only 2 defeats. The Doctor, it would seem, remains a most difficult man to beat, even with two dozen accomplished players ranged against him.

We have one game to share with our readers today, played at Stuttgart, the final stop on Dr. Lasker's tour. As so often occurs, it is a loss by the performer that sees the light of day.  Here Herr Eiche, with the White pieces, obtains such a promising position against the Champion's Open Defense to the Ruy Lopez that Dr. Lasker at the 21st move elects to sacrifice a whole Rook in the attempt to wrest the initiative from his opponent and decide the contest with an attack on the light squares, a design that is foiled by White's cool and sensible defense.

  

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