The chess game between Emanuel Lasker and Johann Bauer played in Amsterdam in 1889 is one of the most famous of all time on account of Lasker’s sacrifice of both bishops to blow away the pawn cover around his opponent’s king and win material.

View annotated moves of the game

The same sacrificial pattern as seen in this game has been echoed in a number of later games, notable examples including Nimzovich – Tarrasch , St Petersburg 1914; Miles – Browne , Lucerne 1982; and Polgar – Karpov , 7th Essent 2003.

The game was played right at the beginning of Lasker’s career in the first round of the 1889 Amsterdam tournament, the first high-level closed tournament Lasker participated in. Lasker finished the tournament in second place with 6/8, a point behind the winner Amos Burn and ahead of James Mason and Isidor Gunsberg among others. Bauer finished sixth of the nine participants with 3.5/8.

It is interesting that a similar sacrifice occurred already in Burn-Owen, 1884 , but in this case the sacrifice was not correct and Owen, who conducted it, lost the game. Nevertheless it may have been an inspiration for Lasker.