The story behind the game
Lasker’s game against Bauer at Amsterdam in 1889 is a classic illustration of two bishop sacrifices against a castled king. Study the queen and rook routes before looking at the captures. The bishops open lines, but the remaining pieces must be ready to use them.
Take these ideas to your next game
- Before sacrificing, identify the queen and rook routes that will use the opened lines.
- Calculate the defender’s legal alternatives instead of assuming a sacrifice must be accepted.
- A rook lift uses a clear rank to bring a rook across to the king attack.
- When the attack wins a queen, reassess the position and convert the material advantage.
Read the complete annotated game
Full game transcript, including the result and the answers. Original explanations by chessgames.info; game score from the sources below.
Lasker plays 14.Nh5, attacking the f6-knight and inviting a concrete calculation of …Nxh5. The knight on f6 helps guard h7. White’s jump changes that arrangement and gives Black an immediate decision. In the historical game, …Nxh5 draws Black’s knight away from f6 and allows the first bishop sacrifice. That capture was a choice, not a forced reply: the saved alternatives show why the defender’s strongest resistance must be studied separately.
The move 15.Bxh7+ removes the h-pawn with check; after …Kxh7, Qxh5+ brings the queen into play. The bishop gives up its life to alter the king’s shelter and clear a route for the queen. White also recovers the knight on h5 in the sequence. Count both the material and the forcing moves. Compare the legal king replies and the saved defensive line before moving on to the second sacrifice.
Lasker plays 17.Bxg7, offering the second bishop to strip away the g-pawn. The first sacrifice opened the h-file area; this one draws the king toward g7 after acceptance. The queen can then check from g4, but the queen alone is not the whole attack. White must recruit a rook. The saved engine lines verify the forcing continuation and give alternatives to compare with the historical replies.
The game continues 19.Rf3, preparing to bring the rook across to h3 with check. A rook lift means bringing a rook up a rank so it can move sideways into the attack. Here White’s third rank provides that route. The recorded continuation includes …e5, Rh3+ and …Qh6; White captures the queen rather than delivering an immediate mate. Reassess the resulting material advantage instead of assuming every successful sacrifice ends in checkmate.
Result: 1-0. The recorded score ends here; it does not imply checkmate.
Think through the turning points
Move 14: Make the knight a forcing piece
White’s knight is on g3. Which jump creates immediate pressure near Black’s castled king? In the game: Nh5. Lasker plays 14.Nh5, attacking the f6-knight and inviting a concrete calculation of …Nxh5. The knight on f6 helps guard h7. White’s jump changes that arrangement and gives Black an immediate decision. In the historical game, …Nxh5 draws Black’s knight away from f6 and allows the first bishop sacrifice. That capture was a choice, not a forced reply: the saved alternatives show why the defender’s strongest resistance must be studied separately.
Engine-supported alternatives
Nh5 Rfc8 Nxf6+ Bxf6 Bxh7+ Kf8 Rf3 Ke7 Rg3 Rh8 Bd3 c4 · +1.89 · depth 19
f5 g6 · +0.43 · depth 19
Rf2 Nd7 Bxh7+ Kxh7 Qh5+ Kg8 Bxg7 Kxg7 Qg4+ Kh7 Qh3+ Kg8 · +0.00 · depth 18
Move 15: Remove the h-pawn with check
Black has captured the knight on h5. Which forcing capture lets White’s queen join the attack? In the game: Bxh7+. The move 15.Bxh7+ removes the h-pawn with check; after …Kxh7, Qxh5+ brings the queen into play. The bishop gives up its life to alter the king’s shelter and clear a route for the queen. White also recovers the knight on h5 in the sequence. Count both the material and the forcing moves. Compare the legal king replies and the saved defensive line before moving on to the second sacrifice.
Engine-supported alternatives
Bxh7+ Kxh7 Qxh5+ Kg8 Bxg7 Kxg7 Qg4+ Kh7 Rf3 e5 Rh3+ Qh6 · +4.16 · depth 20
Qxh5 f5 Rf3 Qe8 Qxe8 Raxe8 Bf1 g6 Be2 Bf6 d4 Bxe5 · +0.13 · depth 20
f5 Nf6 Rf4 exf5 Raf1 Bc8 R1f3 Re8 Rg3 Kf8 Rh4 Bd8 · -3.77 · depth 20
Move 17: Remove the second shield
Black’s king has returned to g8. Which bishop capture removes another shielding pawn? In the game: Bxg7. Lasker plays 17.Bxg7, offering the second bishop to strip away the g-pawn. The first sacrifice opened the h-file area; this one draws the king toward g7 after acceptance. The queen can then check from g4, but the queen alone is not the whole attack. White must recruit a rook. The saved engine lines verify the forcing continuation and give alternatives to compare with the historical replies.
Engine-supported alternatives
Bxg7 Kxg7 Qg4+ Kh7 Rf3 e5 Rh3+ Qh6 Rxh6+ Kxh6 Qd7 Rae8 · +4.30 · depth 20
Rf3 f6 Rh3 d4 Qh7+ Kf7 Rg3 Ke8 Rxg7 Kd8 Rf1 fxe5 · -2.40 · depth 20
Rae1 f6 Rf3 Qe8 Qg4 fxe5 Rh3 Bf6 fxe5 Bxe5 d4 Bf6 · -3.68 · depth 20
Move 19: Recruit the rook across the third rank
Both bishops have gone and White’s queen is on g4. How can a rook join the attack on h7? In the game: Rf3. The game continues 19.Rf3, preparing to bring the rook across to h3 with check. A rook lift means bringing a rook up a rank so it can move sideways into the attack. Here White’s third rank provides that route. The recorded continuation includes …e5, Rh3+ and …Qh6; White captures the queen rather than delivering an immediate mate. Reassess the resulting material advantage instead of assuming every successful sacrifice ends in checkmate.
Engine-supported alternatives
Qh3+ Kg7 Qg4+ Kh7 Rf3 e5 Rh3+ Qh6 Rxh6+ Kxh6 Qd7 Rae8 · +4.35 · depth 19
Qh5+ Kg7 Qg4+ Kh7 Rf3 e5 Rh3+ Qh6 Rxh6+ Kxh6 Qd7 Rae8 · +4.28 · depth 19
Rf3 e5 Rh3+ Qh6 Rxh6+ Kxh6 Qd7 Rae8 Qxb7 exf4 Rf1 fxe3 · +4.17 · depth 19
Every piece has a part to play.
Lasker’s game against Bauer at Amsterdam in 1889 is a classic illustration of two bishop sacrifices against a castled king. Study the queen and rook routes before looking at the captures. The bishops open lines, but the remaining pieces must be ready to use them.
Look a little deeper
Play on the board or type your move. Strong engine-supported alternatives receive credit.
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Select a key moment to explore legal continuations supported by saved Stockfish analysis.
Accessible evaluation values & provenance
Stockfish 17.1 · 75,000 nodes per position; 1,000,000 at key moments. Actual depth 12–21. Positive centipawns favour White; mate scores remain separate. Selective search is evidence, not proof.
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