Here's a familiar situation. You play a game of chess in which your opponent beats you soundly, in a favorite opening. So it's back to the drawing board. You analyze the game and find a much stronger move in the opening, which leaves your opponent with a permanent weakness. "Aha, I'll get him next time", you say. The next time the two of you play, you spring your new move on him and win. Well, imagine having to wait the better part of nine years, to unleash your surprise. That's just what Harry Nelson Pillsbury had to do with Emmanuel Lasker.

The fact that the wait was so long, and that two world-class players were involved, makes this a remarkable enough story. Even more remarkable is that both games are widely considered as some of the best ever played. In 1896, Pillsbury was a new man on the chess scene, having won the famous tournament at Hastings the previous year. Lasker, of course, was World Champion. During a tournament at St. Petersburg, Pillsbury (with White) and Lasker faced each other. Pillsbury - Lasker 1895 Lasker unleashed a combination, which was nothing short of brilliant, and won convincingly. So Pillsbury, after extensive analysis, came up with a new move, 7.Bxf6, which he found creates a weak pawn structure in Black's King side. Then, he kept his discovery secret until the two met again. Finally, at Cambridge Springs in 1904, got his chance. By this time, Pillsbury was a sick man. In fact, he would be dead within two years. But he, triumphed over Lasker, in their encounter, by proceeding to rip open Black's King side with surgical precision. Pillsbury - Lasker 1904 Enjoy!

(For a list of the 14 games recorded between Pillsbury and Lasker, visit http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chess.pl?pid=10506&pid2=19149.)