Capablanca's 130th anniversary

by André Schulz
11/19/2018 – Today, November 19th, José Raúl Capablanca, would have celebrated his 130th birthday. After World War I the Cuban was the world's best player and World Champion from 1921 to 1927. During his career, he played more than 500 tournament games but lost only 36 of them. | Photo: Screenshot from the movie "Chess Fever"

He was a child prodigy and he is surrounded by legends. In his best times he was considered to be unbeatable and by many he was reckoned to be the greatest chess talent of all time: Jose Raul Capablanca, born 1888 in Havana.

November 19, 1888 to March 8, 1942

130 years ago, November 19, 1888, José Raúl Capablanca was born in Havana, Cuba, as the second son of a Spanish army officer. Capablanca is said to have learned chess when he was just four years old, allegedly by watching his father play with friends. At the age of twelve Capablanca won a match Juan Corzo, the Cuban Champion at that time.

After finishing school Capablanca went to New York to study at Columbia University with a grant. He enrolled in sports and chemical science but after the first semester, his grant was withdrawn because he studied chess much more ardently than chemistry or sports.

Capablanca was a regular guest at the Manhattan Chess Club where he met World Champion Emanuel Lasker in 1906 — the first time they met. The current and the future World Champion both took part in a rapid tournament and the 18-year old Cuban beat Lasker in the final.

Three years later, 1909, the Manhattan Chess Club was also the venue of a match between Capablanca and Frank Marshall which Capablanca won 8-1, and 14 draws.

But the most famous game between Capablanca and Marshall was played nine years later:

 
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1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 "My first surprise," wrote Capablanca, as Marshall allows the Ruy Lopez for the first time in nearly a decade. 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 0-0 Marshall thought, incorrectly, that this was a novelty. Capablanca commented, "Castling has been supposed to be undesirable at this point, on account of 8 Bd5", which rather begs the question: Why didn't Capablanca play 8 Bd5, if he thought it was so good? Capablanca himself answers: "I now felt that Marshall had prepared something for me, expecting me to play B-Q5 (Bd5), therefore without hesitation I played my next move." 8.c3 White prepares d2-d4. This move is still the most commonly played; although some other moves, such as 8.a4 , are popular too. 8...d5 Marshall plays his gambit. Capablanca commented, "The sacrifice, if accepted, yields Black a powerful attack, although of a doubtful nature, and I am inclined to think that White should come out with advantage." For a long time the chess world agreed with this analysis. Growing up in the 1960s and 1970s I remember reading an article in 'CHESS' about a refutation of this gambit. Yet today many players, not least Levon Aronian, consider the Marshall sound and play it regularly. 9.exd5 Nxd5 Deviating from his earlier 9...e4 10.dxc6 exf3 11.d4 fxg2 12.Bf4? Bg4 13.Qd3 Nh5 14.Bxc7? Qxc7 15.Qe4 Nf4! 16.Qxe7 Qxe7 17.Rxe7 Bf3 and 0-1 in Frere-Marshall, New York (simul) 1917. 10.Nxe5 Capablanca collects his pawn. "I thought for a little while before playing this, knowing I would be subjected there-after to a terrific attack, all the lines of which would be of necessity be familiar to my adversary. The lust of battle, however, had been aroused within me. I felt that my judgement and skill were being challenged by a player who had reason to fear both (as shown by the records of our previous encounters); but who wanted to take advantage of the element of surprise and of the fact of my being unfamiliar with a thing to which he had devoted many a night of toil and hard work. --- "I considered the position then and decided I was in honour bound, so to speak, to take the pawn and accept the challenge [....] as my knowledge and judgement told me that my position should then be defensible" (Capablanca in his great book, 'My Chess Career'). Nxe5 11.Rxe5 Nf6 Repositioning this important minor piece. This was Marshall's original idea, but is considered passé by most opening books today. The 'Modern' variation of the Marshall Attack is 11...c6 , which is now the usual move at this point. Marshall himself found this improvement. 12.Re1 "White's move order is slightly unusual, but it transposes into the more natural sequence 12.d4 Bd6 13.Re1 today 13.Re2 is considered equally strong 13...Ng4 14.h3 Qh4 15.Qf3 " - John Nunn in the excellent book 'The World's Greatest Chess Games'. 12...Bd6 13.h3 "If 13.d4 , then will follow Ng4 " - Capablanca. 13...Ng4 Black plays it anyway. "The onslaught begins," commented Capablanca, while Nunn noted that "Black's attack gathers momentum." He goes on to note further that White has no minor pieces defending his king, and that White's entire queenside is still at home. Indeed, Black's attack looks extremely dangerous and maybe the only reason White survives is because of perfect defence - and the fact that White's queen and light-squared bishop prove to be a very effective defensive combination. 14.Qf3 This move is both offensive and defensive, as it threatens the rook on a8 and also protects the white kingside. "The knight can't be taken, 14.hxg4? Qh4 15.Qf3 Bh2+ 16.Kf1 Bxg4 17.Qe4 Bf4 18.g3 Qh2 and White will lose his queen under unfavourable conditions" - Nunn. 14...Qh4 15.d4 "Intuitive, and absolutely correct", according to Reuben Fine. "The tempting move of 15.Re8 is met by Bb7 16.Rxf8+ Rxf8 17.Qxg4 Re8 18.Kf1 Qe7 19.Be6 Bd5 , and Black has the best of it" - Capablanca. 15...Nxf2 "The trapper, trapped," observed Capablanca, who added, "Very likely a mistake and overlooking the reply. " 15...h5 was perhaps the best way to keep up the pressure." Interestingly, in the opening databases I use I can't find any other moves being successfully used by Black in this position and Fritz seems to think it is the best move. 16.Re2 "A strong move, but decades of analysis have shown that the most convincing refutation of Black's play is 16.Bd2! " - Nunn. 16 Bd2 is, indeed, the most popular move on my opening databases, whereas 16 Re2 has been the third most popular behind 16 Qxf2, although that move loses, as explained above. Nunn further observes, "One can hardly criticise Capablanca's move since after it White retains a clear advantage no matter how Black plays." "Again White cannot take the knight. 16.Qxf2? Bh2+ but not 16...Bg3?? 17.Qxf7+ 17.Kf1 Bg3 18.Qe2 now 18.Qxf7+ Rxf7+ is check 18...Bxh3 19.gxh3 Rae8 20.Be3 Bxe1 21.Qxe1 Qxh3+ 22.Kf2 Qh2+ 23.Kf1 Qxb2 and wins" - Nunn. 16...Bg4 Black keeps attacking, giving white a choice of taking bishop or knight. Of course there are other moves available, but 16...Nxh3+ 17.gxh3 Bxh3 18.Re4 is given as "hopeless" by Nunn, and in my opening database I can see White scoring 66% after this. 17.hxg4 Bh2+ 18.Kf1 Bg3 Protecting the knight and threatening mate in one. "The alternative was 18...Nh1 , leading to a complicated game, but always White is apparently able to find a valid defence" - Capablanca. 19.Rxf2 " 19.Ke1 was also feasible, Nh3+ as it is not possible for Black to play 19...Rae8 on account of 20.Qxf7+ " - Capablanca. 20.Kd1 Ng1 21.Qe4 Nxe2 22.Qxe2 Rae8 23.Qf3 Qh1+ 24.Kc2 Qe1 25.Bd2 Re2 , however, gives Black more counterplay than in the game, according to Nunn. 19...Qh1+ Black throws in another check and then regains some of the sacrificed material. 20.Ke2 Bxf2 21.Bd2 White saves his threatened bishop. 21.Kxf2 Qxc1 22.Qe2 Rae8 23.Qd2 Qh1 has been tried in some Internet games, but Black still has an attack here, whereas after 21 Bd2 White should gradually consolidate. 21...Bh4 The only way to save the bishop. 22.Qh3 Of course White would love to exchange queens and consolidate his extra material. Rae8+ "As it is important for Black to avoid exchanging queens he is now compelled to drive the king to c2 and presently also his rooks are on the wrong side of the board" - Capablanca. 23.Kd3 Qf1+ The only way to prevent the queen exchange and not lose the bishop on h4. 24.Kc2 Forced, but now the white king at last finds some sanctuary. Bf2 25.Qf3 An interesting pin on the bishop... Qg1 ...which Marshall immediately breaks. 26.Bd5 "This move is one of those inconspicuous but important moves which make the difference between a smooth technical victory and allowing the opponent messy counterplay. "After 26.a4? Be3! 27.Bxe3 Rxe3 28.Nd2!? Qxa1 29.Qxe3 bxa4 30.Bd5 a3 we have a mess, whereas after the text-move, which threatens 27 Qd1, Black's compensation is far more limited" - Nunn. 26...c5 27.dxc5 Bxc5 28.b4 Bd6 Dropping back. "If, instead, 28...Be3 29.Bxe3 Rxe3 30.Nd2! " - Capablanca. 29.a4 The best, according to several players. "Incredibly ingenious, the rook enters the game via the Queen's Rook file," wrote Fine. a5 Black continues to try and confuse the issue, hoping to throw the queenside open. 30.axb5 axb4 31.Ra6 The rook gets into action, attacking the black bishop. bxc3 Marshall, typically, ignores it and goes on with his own attack. 32.Nxc3 Bb4 "White's king has been stripped of its defensive pawn-cover, but Black's pieces are in no position to make use of this. Indeed, there is little he can do to stop the b-pawn" - Nunn. 33.b6 Bxc3 34.Bxc3 h6 35.b7 Re3 One last attack. 36.Bxf7+ Mate is inevitable, as shown by 36.Bxf7+ Rxf7 37.b8Q+ Kh7 38.Rxh6+! Kxh6 39.Qh8+ Kg5 40.Qh5# . 1–0
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Capablanca,J-Marshall,F-1–01918New York

The Marshall Attack is one of the most dynamic replies Black has at his disposal against 1.e4. At the cost of a pawn, Black takes over the initiative from the get - go and goes after the white king. Wrongly considered to be mainly a drawing weapon by some, this DVD offers many new ideas for Black, showing how to keep the queens on the board and to play for a win in almost all cases.


When Jacques Mieses in 1911 organised a tournament in the Spanish town San Sebastian he invited the world's best players of that time but also Capablanca who was unknown in European chess circles. Lasker did not play but Capablanca surprised the European masters and won the tournament. The tournament in San Sebastian was a kind of unoffical candidates tournament and after winning it on October 26th, 1911, Capablanca sent World Champion Emanuel Lasker a challenge for the title. However, the two players could not agree on the conditions and another ten years would pass before the match finally came about.

In 1913 Capablanca was given a diplomatic post by his home country Cuba and with this post came the liberty to take time off to play in all the tournaments he wanted to play in. At the great tournament in St. Petersburg 1914 Capablanca again talked with Lasker about a possible World Champion match. Now the two came close to an agreement and after the tournament they even played a blitz match in Berlin which Capablanca won 6½-3½. But this time the outbreak of World War I which put an end to all chess activities in Europe and also made a World Championship match between Capablanca and Lasker impossible.

 
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Aaron Nimzowitsch (1886-1935) was one of the founders of the "new school" that dramatically changed our views of chess in the twenties. His revolutionary positional ideas made our understanding of the game much deeper. The Nimzo-Indian Defence, 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4!, which at first was not taken seriously by his contemporaries, is one of the most solid and reliable openings for Black nowadays. Nimzowitch's original and long-term plans were deadly against his weaker opponents, but he couldn't make them work against world champions. It was possibly due to his shaky spirit which simply couldn't stand the overwhelming mental power. His games with Capablanca were especially tough for Nimzowitsch. The natural talent of the Cuban genius was not affected by the desperate attempts to cloud the clear picture. 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5 d6 Modern players don't think highly of the Steinitz Defence. Black usually remains under constant pressure without substantial chances of active counterplay. But this solid opening was the young Capablanca's favourite choice and enabled him to avoid any unpleasant surprises in the early parts of the game. Capablanca was confident that once he had reached the middlegame he would always be able to neutralise his opponent's initiative and even turn the tables. 5.d4 Bd7 6.Bxc6 Bxc6 7.Qd3 By exchanging his bishops White has forced Black to give up his outpost in the centre. exd4 8.Nxd4 g6?! inviting White to win a pawn. Black gets excellent compensation for it, but still it was a very risky decision. If White simply continues his development with 9.Bg5... (see variation below). But Nimzowitsch couldn't resist the temptation. 9.Nxc6?! If White simply advances his development with 9.Bg5 Bg7 10.0-0-0 Black would feel very uncomfortable: h6 10...0-0? loses instantly: 11.Nxc6 bxc6 12.e5! dxe5 13.Qxd8 13.Qf3 Fritz Qe7 14.Ne4 winning faster 13...Raxd8 14.Rxd8 Rxd8 15.Ne4! 11.Bh4 0-0 12.f4 Re8 13.Rhe1 with growing pressure. and here the computer immediately shows the winning line: 13.Nxc6 Fritz bxc6 14.e5 dxe5 15.Qxd8 Rexd8 16.Rxd8+ Rxd8 17.fxe5 winning 9...bxc6 10.Qa6 Qd7 Of course not 10...c5? 11.Qc6+ Nd7 12.Bg5! winning, (RR) e.g. mit Gewinn für Weiß Be7 13.Bxe7 Kxe7 14.Nd5+ Kf8 15.Nxc7 Rc8 16.Qxd6+ Kg7 17.Nd5 11.Qb7 Rc8 12.Qxa7 Bg7 13.0-0 0-0
A healthy extra pawn and no obvious threats - what else could White wish? We can hardly criticise Nimzowitsch for not catching on to Capablanca's very profound concept, which was truly amazing for the beginning of the 20th century. But today any strong player will know that the combined pressure on the a- and b-files, as well as on the e4 pawn, supported by the super-powerful bishop on g7, at least guarantees Black full compensation. 14.Qa6 Rfe8 15.Qd3 Qe6! 16.f3 Nd7 Now Black reveals his hand. With the knight marching to c4 White's queenside will become defenceless. 17.Bd2? Nimzowitsch doesn't sense the growing danger. This was the right time to start working on safety by exchanging pieces Nimzowitsch verkennt die drohende Gefahr. Es war der richtige Moment, durch Abtausch etwas für die Sicherheit zu tun: 17.Bf4 Ne5 18.Bxe5 Bxe5 19.Rab1 17...Ne5 18.Qe2 Nc4 19.Rab1 Ra8 20.a4? 20.b3 didn't change much: Nxd2 21.Qxd2 Ra3! and after 22...Qe5 Black will get back the pawn while keeping his strong bishop alive. 21...Qe5? 22.Na4 20.Be1 was much better, however, saving his own bishop, although after d5! 21.b3 Nd6 22.a4 f5 Black has a very comfortable and active game. 20...Nxd2 21.Qxd2 Qc4! 22.Rfd1 22.Ne2 Rxa4 23.b3 Qc5+ 24.Kh1 Ra2 25.Rbc1 would also lead to a gloomy position in which White is forced into a long and painful defence. 22...Reb8! Black naturally ignores the opportunity to win back the pawn by "sacrificing" the bishop, which is the pride of his position. Now ...Rxb2 is threatening. 23.Qe3? Capablanca's dominant play has completely paralysed his opponent. Only 23.Qd3 Qc5+ 24.Kh1 Rb4 25.Ne2 would maintain chances of resistance. 23...Rb4! 24.Qg5 now 24.Qd3 is too late: Qc5+ 25.Kh1 Rab8 etc. 24...Bd4+ 25.Kh1 Rab8
The triumph of Black's superb strategy! White's queenside has collapsed and big material losses are inevitable. 26.Rxd4 Qxd4 The rook was the right price for such a fearsome bishop! The rest of the game doesn't really require the great Capablanca technique. 27.Rd1 Qc4 28.h4 Rxb2 29.Qd2 Qc5 30.Re1? Qh5! 31.Ra1 At the end a little joke: 31.Qf2 Rxc2! 31...Qxh4+ 32.Kg1 Qh5 33.a5 Ra8 34.a6 Qc5+ 35.Kh1 Qc4 36.a7 Qc5 37.e5 Qxe5 38.Ra4 Qh5+ 39.Kg1 Qc5+ 40.Kh2 d5! A good player is always cautious, even in the enemy's agony. Perhaps Capablanca was worried about the fact that 40...Rxa7 leads to unnecessary complications after 41.Ne4 though it doesn't affect the result of the game: Rxc2! 41...Qe5+ wins immediately (Fritz) 42.f4 Qe7 White must then give up his rook to avoid mate. 43.Rxa7 Qh4+ 44.Kg1 Rb1+ 45.Qd1 Rxd1# 42.Qh6 42.Nxc5 Rxd2 43.Rxa7 dxc5 44.Rxc7 Rd6 42...Qe5+ 43.f4 Rxa4! 44.fxe5 Rxe4 etc. 41.Rh4 Rxa7 42.Nd1 and White resigned - enough is enough! This game is the best illustration of the ability of a great mind to be well ahead of the conventional wisdom of his time.
0–1
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Nimzowitsch,A-Capablanca,J-0–11914C62St Petersburg International Preliminary1

Like a fine wine, the Four Knights only improves with age, establishing itself as an extremely effective way of meeting 1...e5. On the outside this opening seems deceptively quiet, yet apparently natural moves can often lead to some devastating attacks.


After the war, Capablanca again entered negotiations with Lasker to play a World Championship match, and in 1921 they finally played for the title in Cuba. The total prize fund was USD $20,000 of which Lasker was guaranteed to receive $11,000, no matter how the match would end. But in 1921 Lasker was already more than 50 years old and way past his prime. After four losses and ten draws Lasker gave up the match and Capablanca became new World Champion.

 
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1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 e6 3.c4 Nf6 4.Bg5 Nbd7 5.e3 Be7 6.Nc3 0-0 7.Rc1 Re8 8.Qc2 c6 9.Bd3 dxc4 10.Bxc4 Nd5 11.Bxe7 Rxe7 12.0-0 Nf8 13.Rfd1 Bd7 14.e4 Nb6 15.Bf1 Rc8 16.b4 Be8 17.Qb3 Rec7 18.a4 Ng6 19.a5 Nd7 20.e5 b6 21.Ne4 Rb8 22.Qc3 Nf4 23.Nd6 Nd5 24.Qa3 f6 25.Nxe8 Qxe8 26.exf6 gxf6 27.b5 Rbc8 28.bxc6 Rxc6 29.Rxc6 Rxc6 30.axb6 axb6 31.Re1 Qc8 32.Nd2 Nf8 33.Ne4 Qd8 34.h4 Rc7 35.Qb3 Rg7 36.g3 Ra7 37.Bc4 Ra5 38.Nc3 Nxc3 39.Qxc3 Kf7 40.Qe3 Qd6 41.Qe4 Ra4 42.Qb7+ Kg6 43.Qc8 Qb4 44.Rc1 Qe7 45.Bd3+ Kh6 46.Rc7 Ra1+ 47.Kg2 Qd6 48.Qxf8+ 1–0
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Capablanca,J-Lasker,E-1–01921D66World-ch11 Capablanca-Lasker +4-0=1011

In 1925, during the International Tournament in Moscow, Capablanca had a guest appearance in the Russian movie "Chess Fever".

After World War I until the middle of the 1920s Capablanca was the world's clear number one. But soon Alekhine grew into a serious rival. Back in 1921, Alekhine had already challenged Capablanca to play a match for the title but Capablanca was uncompromising and demanded a purse of at least USD $10,000 (about $260,000 in today's money) which angered Alekhine. But, in 1927, Alekhine managed to procure the money played Capablanca in Buenos Aires. In this match Capablanca was the clear favourite, not least because he had never before lost a single game to Alekhine, but Capablanca lost the match 3-6 (25 games were drawn).

For the remainder of his life Capablanca tried to play a rematch for the title against Alekhine but Alekhine insisted on the same high financial demands that Capablanca had insisted upon and tried to avoid a rematch. Towards other challengers, however, Alekhine was much more forthcoming. Capablanca and Alekhine once had been on very good terms and in St. Petersburg 1914 they often analysed together but after their match in 1927 their friendship turned into enmity. If possible, they avoided to play in the same tournaments, and if they had to they still tried never to be in the same room at the same time.

Alekhine and und Capablanca, 1914

Capablanca's chess was marked by great ease. Where others had to work hard for a win Capablanca seemed to win without effort. The Cuban only rarely lost a game. From 1916 to 1924 he played 63 games in a row without a loss and won 40 of these games. Capablanca played 578 official tournament games in his career and lost only 36 of them.

Off the board, Capablanca also had a winning personality. His charm won the heart of many a woman and he liked female company.

Capablanca with the actress Mae Clarke

In 1937 he divorced his first wife Gloria Simioni y Betancourt and married Olga Chagodaef, whom he had met in 1934 on a party.

In 1938 Capablanca suffered a minor stroke during the AVRO tournament but still finished the event. On March 7, 1942, he suffered a second stroke while kibitzing at the Manhattan Chess Club. He died in the morning of the next day, on March 8, 1942, at Mount Sinai Hospital.

He was a child prodigy and he is surrounded by legends. In his best times he was considered to be unbeatable and by many he was reckoned to be the greatest chess talent of all time: Jose Raul Capablanca, born 1888 in Havana.

Translation from German: Johannes Fischer

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André Schulz started working for ChessBase in 1991 and is an editor of ChessBase News.

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