Lasker's Second Bishop: 17.Bxg7

White to play

Emanuel Lasker(white)vsJohann Bauer(black)

Amsterdam Tournament · 1889

SPEED1.2s

Solution

The follow-up that completes Lasker's signature combination.

Review

White to play. Lasker has already sacrificed his light-squared bishop on h7 to drag the king out. Now he plays 17.Bxg7!! — sacrificing his SECOND bishop to strip away every kingside defender. After 17...Kxg7 18.Qg4+ the queen swings in unopposed for a winning attack. The 'double bishop sacrifice' pattern was born.

See the full master game →

More tactics

Botvinnik's Knight Sacrifice: 31.Nh5+
Kasparov's 30.Rxb7 — King Hunt Continues
Fischer's 38.Rxf6!! — Positional Demolition
Deep Blue's 8.Nxe6!! — Machine Strikes First

Themes

SacrificePatternRomantic Era