Emanuel Lasker — New York 1924

dates: 16 March–18 April 1924
location: Alamac Hotel, New York, United States
score: 16 / 20 — thirteen wins, six draws, one loss
winner: Emanuel Lasker

Emanuel Lasker in a German Federal Archives portrait dated 19 March 1929 — Emanuel Lasker, 19 March 1929. This portrait was taken five years after the New York tournament. Photo: Bundesarchiv, Bild 102-00457 / Unknown photographer.

Emanuel Lasker won the New York 1924 tournament at the age of fifty-five, three years after losing the world championship to José Raúl Capablanca. His sixteen points from twenty games placed him a point and a half ahead of the reigning champion. Alexander Alekhine finished third on twelve points. The event brought eleven leading players to the Alamac Hotel for a double round robin.

Thirteen wins, six draws and a single loss made this much more than a symbolic return by a former champion. Lasker beat Alekhine in their first meeting and scored heavily against the rest of the field. Capablanca inflicted his only defeat, but Lasker recovered and continued winning in the closing rounds. The games show attacks, long defensive struggles and endgames that demand attention far beyond the opening.

Several encounters make particularly useful comparisons. His first game with Edward Lasker lasted 103 moves and ended in a draw; their second ended in victory for Emanuel. Against Marshall, a long draw was followed by a final-round win in a Ruy Lopez Exchange Variation. The Janowski games similarly contrast the demands of playing a Sicilian with Black and a Ruy Lopez with White.

This article presents all twenty supplied games in event-round order. The game numbers below count Lasker’s played games; the original PGN round headers are retained separately. In an eleven-player double round robin, byes make the event schedule longer than any one player’s twenty-game collection. Select either player to practise the decisions across Lasker’s wins, the drawn games and Capablanca’s victory.

Emanuel Lasker's Profile

Tournament results

New York 1924 final standings and crosstable
No.	Player	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	Points
1	Emanuel Lasker	**	½0	1½	½1	11	11	11	½1	½1	½1	11	16
2	José Raúl Capablanca	½1	**	½½	½½	01	½1	11	11	1½	½1	½1	14½
3	Alexander Alekhine	0½	½½	**	½½	10	1½	½½	½½	11	½½	11	12
4	Frank Marshall	½0	½½	½½	**	½1	0½	01	½0	½1	1½	11	11
5	Richard Réti	00	10	01	½0	**	½½	01	11	10	10	11	10½
6	Géza Maróczy	00	½0	0½	1½	½½	**	01	½½	11	½1	10	10
7	Efim Bogoljubow	00	00	½½	10	10	10	**	01	11	½1	01	9½
8	Savielly Tartakower	½0	00	½½	½1	00	½½	10	**	10	½0	½1	8
9	Fred Yates	½0	0½	00	½0	01	00	00	01	**	11	½1	7
10	Edward Lasker	½0	½0	½½	0½	01	½0	½0	½1	00	**	0½	6½
11	Dawid Janowski	00	½0	00	00	00	01	10	½0	½0	1½	**	5

Each numbered column refers to the player with that number. The two symbols show the results of their two games. 1 = win, ½ = draw, 0 = loss; ** = same player. Points are out of 20.

Completed 0 / 20

Game 1: A draw with the reigning champion

Lasker and Capablanca began with a Ruy Lopez in which Black used ...d6 and exchanged pieces before the middlegame could become sharp. The game ended in a draw after 30 moves. Compare the occupation of open files with the value of preserving tension when both players can coordinate their rooks.

Game	Event	Year	Moves	Played	Current move	Score	Correct	Accuracy	Action
Emanuel Lasker – Jose Raul Capablanca 1/2-1/2	New York	1924	30	No	—	—	—	—	Start

Game 2: Beating Alekhine with Black

Alekhine exchanged on d5 in the Queen’s Gambit and developed his bishop to f4. Lasker’s ...Nh5 challenged that bishop, and the later struggle opened lines on the kingside. His first victory in the collection offers practice in connecting an opening exchange with the pawn structure and attacking possibilities that follow.

Game	Event	Year	Moves	Played	Current move	Score	Correct	Accuracy	Action
Alexander Alekhine – Emanuel Lasker 0-1	New York	1924	36	No	—	—	—	—	Start

Game 3: Janowski’s Sicilian lasts 68 moves

Janowski chose Be2 against Lasker’s Sicilian and castled short. The long game continued into a position with major pieces and late pawn advances before Black won. Take time over the transition from opening plans to concrete threats: in such positions, piece activity and king exposure can outweigh a static count of weaknesses.

Game	Event	Year	Moves	Played	Current move	Score	Correct	Accuracy	Action
David Janowski – Emanuel Lasker 0-1	New York	1924	68	No	—	—	—	—	Start

Game 4: Tartakower draws an ...e6 Sicilian

Lasker’s e4 met a Sicilian with ...e6, ...a6 and ...Qc7. Exchanges on c6 changed Black’s pawn structure, but Tartakower maintained active play and drew after 26 moves. Study the choice between creating a structural target and retaining the piece that might attack it.

Game	Event	Year	Moves	Played	Current move	Score	Correct	Accuracy	Action
Emanuel Lasker – Savielly Tartakower 1/2-1/2	New York	1924	26	No	—	—	—	—	Start

Game 5: The 103-move Edward Lasker draw

The two Laskers entered a closed Ruy Lopez with the familiar queenside expansion ...b5 and ...c5. Their encounter lasted 103 moves and ended in a draw. The late rook-and-knight maneuvers reward careful attention to king routes and pawn targets; endurance here means finding useful moves even after the opening’s main plans have disappeared.

Game	Event	Year	Moves	Played	Current move	Score	Correct	Accuracy	Action
Emanuel Lasker – Edward Lasker 1/2-1/2	New York	1924	103	No	—	—	—	—	Start

Game 6: Maróczy’s center meets a French structure

Maróczy opened e4 and advanced e5 after Lasker’s ...Nf6. The subsequent ...d5 and ...e6 produced a French-like center, with both sides seeking play around its pawn chains. Black won after 30 moves; assess which pawn breaks open lines for the pieces before following a kingside attack.

Game	Event	Year	Moves	Played	Current move	Score	Correct	Accuracy	Action
Geza Maroczy – Emanuel Lasker 0-1	New York	1924	30	No	—	—	—	—	Start

Game 7: A long Berlin win over Bogoljubov

Bogoljubov entered a Ruy Lopez with ...Nf6 and exchanged in the center. The game continued for 71 moves before Lasker won with Black. This encounter adds a long conversion exercise to the collection: compare minor-piece influence, rook activity and the king’s ability to approach pawn weaknesses.

Game	Event	Year	Moves	Played	Current move	Score	Correct	Accuracy	Action
Efim Bogoljubov – Emanuel Lasker 0-1	New York	1924	71	No	—	—	—	—	Start

Game 8: Marshall holds a long Slav

Marshall exchanged on d5 in the Slav and developed his queen to b3. Lasker’s ...Nh5 and ...f5 introduced imbalance, but the 62-move game ended in a draw. Playing both sides gives you practice in recognizing when activity offers winning chances and when repeated checks are the most reliable resource.

Game	Event	Year	Moves	Played	Current move	Score	Correct	Accuracy	Action
Frank James Marshall – Emanuel Lasker 1/2-1/2	New York	1924	62	No	—	—	—	—	Start

Game 9: A French victory against Réti

Réti’s French Defence led to a bishop exchange and doubled f-pawns for Black. Lasker developed actively and won after 32 moves, with a knight check ending the recorded score. Follow how opening structure, open lines and forcing moves interact before deciding whether to simplify or maintain pressure.

Game	Event	Year	Moves	Played	Current move	Score	Correct	Accuracy	Action
Emanuel Lasker – Richard Reti 1-0	New York	1924	32	No	—	—	—	—	Start

Game 10: Yates survives the Ruy Lopez

Lasker exchanged a bishop on c6 and opened the center with d4. The game lasted 55 moves before a draw, with rooks still active in the recorded final sequence. This is a useful exercise in assessing whether a structural advantage can be converted when the defender’s pieces have access to open lines.

Game	Event	Year	Moves	Played	Current move	Score	Correct	Accuracy	Action
Emanuel Lasker – Fred Dewhirst Yates 1/2-1/2	New York	1924	55	No	—	—	—	—	Start

Game 11: An 82-move win over Janowski

The second Janowski game began with a Ruy Lopez and Black’s bishop pin on g4. It eventually became a long endgame, ending after Lasker advanced his a-pawn. Compare this patient White victory with their earlier Sicilian: the same opponent posed quite different problems when the structure and color changed.

Game	Event	Year	Moves	Played	Current move	Score	Correct	Accuracy	Action
Emanuel Lasker – David Janowski 1-0	New York	1924	82	No	—	—	—	—	Start

Game 12: Another win against Bogoljubov

Bogoljubov answered e4 with a Sicilian featuring ...e6 and ...Nf6. Lasker advanced e5 and brought his queen to g4 before the game entered a lengthy struggle. White won after 61 moves; look for the moments when an attack must give way to a more durable plan based on piece activity.

Game	Event	Year	Moves	Played	Current move	Score	Correct	Accuracy	Action
Emanuel Lasker – Efim Bogoljubov 1-0	New York	1924	61	No	—	—	—	—	Start

Game 13: Capablanca inflicts the only defeat

Their return game opened as a Slav with an exchange on d5. Capablanca won after 50 moves, with advanced central and kingside pawns prominent in the final phase. Train from Lasker’s side to search for defensive resources, or choose Capablanca to practise turning positional pressure into concrete threats.

Game	Event	Year	Moves	Played	Current move	Score	Correct	Accuracy	Action
Jose Raul Capablanca – Emanuel Lasker 1-0	New York	1924	50	No	—	—	—	—	Start

Game 14: Answering Réti’s flank opening

Réti began with Nf3, c4 and two bishop fianchettos, while Lasker occupied the center with ...d5 and ...e5. Black won after 45 moves. This game contrasts with their French encounter and asks how a strong pawn center can be maintained when the opponent attacks it indirectly.

Game	Event	Year	Moves	Played	Current move	Score	Correct	Accuracy	Action
Richard Reti – Emanuel Lasker 0-1	New York	1924	45	No	—	—	—	—	Start

Game 15: Yates falls in the Sicilian rematch

Yates chose an Open Sicilian against Lasker’s ...e6 setup. Their second meeting finished after 53 moves, with Black’s b-pawn reaching the second rank. Before each endgame guess, compare the time needed to stop a passer with the opponent’s checks and the activity of your own pieces.

Game	Event	Year	Moves	Played	Current move	Score	Correct	Accuracy	Action
Fred Dewhirst Yates – Emanuel Lasker 0-1	New York	1924	53	No	—	—	—	—	Start

Game 16: A drawn second meeting with Alekhine

Lasker used a flexible queen’s-pawn opening with Nf3 and g3. The game with Alekhine ended in a draw after 30 moves. Set it beside their earlier decisive Queen’s Gambit to compare how changes in opening structure affect the amount of tension available to either player.

Game	Event	Year	Moves	Played	Current move	Score	Correct	Accuracy	Action
Emanuel Lasker – Alexander Alekhine 1/2-1/2	New York	1924	30	No	—	—	—	—	Start

Game 17: Winning the second Edward Lasker game

Edward Lasker opened with a Queen’s Gambit, and Emanuel developed with ...Nf6, ...Be7 and castling. Black won after 51 moves, improving on their marathon draw. The contrast is useful for training: a shorter game can demand just as much care over exchanges, king activity and pawn weaknesses.

Game	Event	Year	Moves	Played	Current move	Score	Correct	Accuracy	Action
Edward Lasker – Emanuel Lasker 0-1	New York	1924	51	No	—	—	—	—	Start

Game 18: Maróczy’s French in the second cycle

Lasker played Nc3 and e5 against Maróczy’s French Defence, meeting the bishop on b4 with a3. The blocked center gave way to a tactical struggle, and White won after 50 moves. Track which pawn exchanges open diagonals before choosing a plan based only on the space advantage.

Game	Event	Year	Moves	Played	Current move	Score	Correct	Accuracy	Action
Emanuel Lasker – Geza Maroczy 1-0	New York	1924	50	No	—	—	—	—	Start

Game 19: Tartakower’s English meets active rooks

Tartakower began with c4 and a3, while Lasker developed behind ...e5. Black won after 48 moves; the late sequence combines an advancing e-pawn with rook and queen checks. Calculate forcing replies carefully before assuming that an extra tempo is enough to stop the promotion threat.

Game	Event	Year	Moves	Played	Current move	Score	Correct	Accuracy	Action
Savielly Tartakower – Emanuel Lasker 0-1	New York	1924	48	No	—	—	—	—	Start

Game 20: A final-round Ruy Lopez Exchange win

Lasker exchanged on c6 and allowed an early queen trade against Marshall. The game continued into a rook ending in which White’s e-pawn promoted. His victory completed sixteen points from twenty games. Use the final encounter to practise looking beyond the pawn structure to rook activity and the exact timing of promotion.

Game	Event	Year	Moves	Played	Current move	Score	Correct	Accuracy	Action
Emanuel Lasker – Frank James Marshall 1-0	New York	1924	44	No	—	—	—	—	Start

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By IgniteChess Editorial Published 2026-10-08

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