Chess lessons › Famous chess games
Edward Lasker’s queen sacrifice
Edward Lasker gives up his queen, and the black king is hunted across the whole board.
The idea
A queen sacrifice pulls the king out, and it is hunted down to mate.
- The queen takes a pawn with check, and the king must take her.
- The knight takes with check and opens the line for its bishop: double check.
- The king is dragged out and chased across the board to mate.
In a game: When your queen and a bishop aim at the pawn by the castled king, look for a sacrifice.
How the lesson begins
This game was played in London in 1912 between Edward Lasker, a German-born master, and Sir George Thomas, who later became British champion. Edward Lasker was not the world champion Emanuel Lasker, though the two are often mixed up. The game shows how a queen and a bishop lined up on h7 can break a king that has castled.
In 1912 Edward Lasker played White against Sir George Thomas in London. Black’s 2...f5 is the Dutch Defence. White trades his bishop for Black’s knight, opens the centre with e4 and puts a knight on e5.
- 1. d4 e6 2. Nf3 f5 Black’s ...f5 is the Dutch Defence.
- 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. Bxf6 The bishop is traded for the knight.
- 5... Bxf6 6. e4 fxe4 7. Nxe4 The knight takes back on e4 and eyes f6 and d6.
- 7... b6 8. Ne5 A second knight comes to e5.
- 8... O-O Black castles.
The bishop goes to d3 and the queen to h5. The queen already attacks the pawn on h7, in front of Black’s castled king, and the bishop is lined up behind its own knight on e4, ready to join in when the knight moves. Black defends the bishop on f6 with the queen.
- 9. Bd3 The bishop lines up on h7, behind the knight on e4.
- 9... Bb7 10. Qh5 The queen attacks h7.
- 10... Qe7 The queen defends the bishop on f6.
Find the move
White to move. The queen attacks h7, and the bishop on d3 is lined up behind the knight on e4. Find the queen sacrifice.
A hint
Take on h7 with check.
Show the answer
11. Qxh7+
Qxh7+! Black has to take the queen. Then Nxf6+ takes the bishop with a double check: the knight gives check, and by leaving e4 it opens the bishop’s line to h7. The king must move and is dragged out into the open.