20 JUN 2025

White wins

by Berthold Lasker

Unknown Source, 1894

White strikes with 1.Bd6!! — a quiet thunderclap, the lone path to victory.

 

The threat of 2.Rf8# hangs heavy, and 1...Qxb3 offers no salvation; it walks straight into mate. And taking the bishop instead merely prolongs the collapse of Black’s brittle position:

 

1...Rxd6 leaves the back rank defenceless; White replies with 2.Qb8+, and mate follows soon after, swift and inevitable. Alternatively, 1...Nxd6 invites the crushing 2.Qxe6+. Cordoned off by the knight, Black’s rook can only watch, helpless.

 

An Alekhinesque combination: subtle, precise, and utterly ruthless.