Annotated Game #085: Jose Raul Capablanca - Savielly Tartakower, New York 1924 Adapted and Condensed from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia Contents ++1. Jose Raul Capablanca y Graupera ++1.A Biography and career ++1.A1 Childhood ++1.A2 Early adult career ++1.A3 World title contender ++1.A4 During World War I ++1.A5 World Champion ++1.A6 Losing the title ++1.A7 Post-championship and partial retirement ++1.A8 Return to competitive chess ++1.A9 Final years ++1.B Assessment ++1.B1 Playing strength and style ++1.B2 Influence on the game ++1.B3 Personality ++1.C Capablanca chess ++1.D Notable chess games ++1.E Writings ++1.F Tournament results ++1.G Match results ++2. Savielly Tartakower ++2.A Early career ++2.B Chess professional ++2.C Final years ++2.D Personality and chess contributions ++2.E Quotations ++2.F Notable chess games ++2.G Writings of Savielly Tartakower ++3. Jose Raul Capablanca - Savielly Tartakower, New York 1924 ++1. Jose Raul Capablanca y Graupera Jose Raul Capablanca y Graupera (November 19, 1888 - March 8, 1942) was a Cuban chess player who was world chess champion from 1921 to 1927. One of the greatest players of all time, he was renowned for his exceptional endgame skill and speed of play. Due to his achievements in the chess world, mastery over the board and his relatively simple style of play he was nicknamed the "Human Chess Machine". ++1.A Biography and career ++1.A1 Childhood Jose Raul Capablanca, the second surviving son of a Spanish army officer, was born in Havana on November 19, 1888. According to Capablanca, he learned the rules of the game at the age of four by watching his father play, pointed out an illegal move by his father, and then beat his father twice. At the age of eight he was taken to Havana Chess Club, which had hosted many important contests, but on the advice of a doctor he was not allowed to play frequently. Between November and December 1901, he narrowly beat the Cuban Chess Champion, Juan Corzo, in a match. However in April 1902 he only came fourth out of six in the National Championship, losing both his games against Corzo. In 1905 Capablanca passed with ease the entrance examinations for Columbia University in New York City, where he wished to play for Columbia's strong baseball team, and soon was selected as shortstop on the freshman team. In the same year he joined the Manhattan Chess Club, and was soon recognized as the club's strongest player. He was particularly dominant in rapid chess, winning a tournament ahead of the reigning World Chess Champion, Emanuel Lasker, in 1906. In 1908 he left the university to concentrate on chess. According to Columbia University, Capablanca enrolled at Columbia's School of Mines, Engineering and Chemistry in September, 1910, to study chemical engineering. Later, his financial support was withdrawn because he preferred playing chess to studying engineering. He left Columbia after one semester to devote himself to chess full time. ++1.A2 Early adult career Capablanca's skill in rapid chess lent itself to simultaneous exhibitions, and his increasing reputation in these events led to a USA-wide tour in 1909. Playing 602 games in 27 cities, he scored 96.4% - a much higher percentage than those of, for example, Giza Marsczy's 88% and Frank Marshall's 86% in 1906. This performance gained him sponsorship for an exhibition match that year against Marshall, the U.S. champion, who had won the 1904 Cambridge Springs tournament ahead of World Champion Emanuel Lasker and Dawid Janowski, and whom Chessmetrics ranks as one of the world's top three players at his peak. Capablanca beat Marshall by 15-8 (8 wins, 1 loss, 14 draws) - a margin comparable to what Emanuel Lasker achieved against Marshall (8 wins, no losses, 7 draws) in winning his 1907 World Championship match. After the match, Capablanca said that he had never opened a book on chess openings. Following this match, Chessmetrics rates Capablanca the world's third strongest player for most of the period from 1909 through 1912. Capablanca won all seven games in the 1910 New York State Championship. After another gruelling series of simultaneous exhibitions, Capablanca placed second, with 9.5 out of 12, in the 1911 National Tournament at New York, half a point behind Marshall, and half a point ahead of Charles Jaffe and Oscar Chajes. Marshall, invited to play in a tournament at San Sebastian, Spain, in 1911, insisted that Capablanca also be allowed to play. According to David Hooper and Ken Whyld, San Sebastian 1911 was "one of the strongest five tournaments held up to that time", as all the world's leading players competed except the World Champion, Lasker. At the beginning of the tournament, Ossip Bernstein and Aron Nimzowitsch objected to Capablanca's presence because he had not fulfilled the entry condition of winning at least third prize in two master tournaments. Capablanca won brilliantly against Bernstein in the very first round, more simply against Nimzowitsch, and astounded the chess world by taking first place, with a score of six wins, one loss and seven draws, ahead of Akiba Rubinstein, Milan Vidmar, Marshall, Carl Schlechter and Siegbert Tarrasch, et al. His loss, against Rubinstein, was one of the most brilliant achievements of the latter's career. Some European critics grumbled that Capablanca's style was rather cautious, though he conceded fewer draws than any of the next six finishers in the event. Capablanca was now recognized as a serious contender for the world championship. ++1.A3 World title contender In 1911, Capablanca challenged Emanuel Lasker for the World Chess Championship. Lasker accepted his challenge while proposing seventeen conditions for the match. Capablanca objected to some of the conditions, which significantly favored Lasker, and the match did not take place. In 1913, Capablanca won a tournament in New York with 11/13, half a point ahead of Marshall. Capablanca then finished second to Marshall in Capablanca's hometown, Havana, scoring 10 out of 14, and losing one of their individual games. The 600 spectators naturally favored their native hero, but sportingly gave Marshall "thunderous applause". In a further tournament in New York in 1913, at the Rice Chess Club, Capablanca won all thirteen games. In September 1913, Capablanca secured a job in the Cuban Foreign Office, which made him financially secure for life. Hooper and Whyld write that, "He had no specific duties, but was expected to act as a kind of ambassador-at-large, a well-known figure who would put Cuba on the map wherever he travelled." His first instructions were to go to Saint Petersburg - where he was due to play in a major tournament. On his way he gave simultaneous exhibitions in London, Paris and Berlin, where he also played two-game matches against Richard Teichmann and Jacques Mieses, winning all his games. After arriving in Saint Petersburg, he played similar matches against Alexander Alekhine, Eugene Znosko-Borovsky and Fyodor Duz-Chotimirsky, losing one game to Znosko-Borovsky and winning the rest. The St. Petersburg 1914 chess tournament was the first in which Capablanca played World Champion Emanuel Lasker under normal tournament conditions. This event was arranged in an unusual way: after a preliminary single round-robin tournament involving eleven players, the top five were to play a second stage in double round- robin format, with scores from the preliminary tournament carried forward to the second contest. Capablanca placed first in the preliminary tournament, 1.5 points ahead of Lasker, who was out of practice and made a shaky start. Despite a determined effort by Lasker, Capablanca still seemed on course for ultimate victory. However, in their second game of the final, Lasker reduced Capablanca to a helpless position and Capablanca was so shaken by this that he blundered away his next game to Siegbert Tarrasch. Lasker thus finished half a point ahead of Capablanca and 3.5 ahead of Alekhine. Alekhine commented: His real, incomparable gifts first began to make themselves known at the time of St. Petersburg, 1914, when I too came to know him personally. Neither before nor afterwards have I seen - and I cannot imagine as well - such a flabbergasting quickness of chess comprehension as that possessed by the Capablanca of that epoch. Enough to say that he gave all the St. Petersburg masters the odds of 5-1 in quick games - and won! With all this he was always good- humoured, the darling of the ladies, and enjoyed wonderful good health - really a dazzling appearance. That he came second to Lasker must be entirely ascribed to his youthful levity - he was already playing as well as Lasker. After the breakdown of his attempt to negotiate a title match in 1911, Capablanca drafted rules for the conduct of future challenges, which were agreed by the other top players at the 1914 Saint Petersburg tournament, including Lasker, and approved at the Mannheim Congress later that year. The main points were: the champion must be prepared to defend his title once a year; the match should be won by the first player to win six or eight games, whichever the champion preferred; and the stake should be at least 1,000 pounds Sterling (worth about 347,000 pounds or $700,000 in 2006 terms. ++1.A4 During World War I World War I began in midsummer 1914, bringing international chess to a virtual halt for more than four years. Capablanca won tournaments in New York in 1914, 1915, 1916 (with preliminary and final round-robin stages) and 1918, losing only one game in this sequence. In the 1918 event Frank James Marshall, playing Black against Capablanca, unleashed a complicated counter-attack, later known as the Marshall Attack, against the Ruy Lopez opening. It is often said that Marshall had kept this secret for use against Capablanca since his defeat in their 1909 match; however, Edward Winter discovered several games between 1910 and 1918 where Marshall passed up opportunities to use the Marshall Attack against Capablanca; and an 1893 game that used a similar line. This gambit is so complex that Garry Kasparov used to avoid it, and Marshall had the advantage of using a prepared variation. Nevertheless, Capablanca found a way through the complications and won. Capablanca was challenged to a match in 1919 by Borislav Kostic, who had come through the 1918 tournament undefeated to take second place. The match was to go to the first player to win eight games, but Kostic resigned the match after losing five straight games. Capablanca considered that he was at his strongest around this time. ++1.A5 World Champion The Hastings Victory tournament of 1919 was the first international competition on Allied soil since 1914. The field was not strong, and Capablanca won with 10.5 points out of 11, one point ahead of Kostic. In January 1920, Emanuel Lasker and Capablanca signed an agreement to play a World Championship match in 1921, noting that Capablanca was not free to play in 1920. Because of the delay, Lasker insisted that if he resigned the title, then Capablanca should become World Champion. Lasker had previously included in his agreement before World War I to play Akiba Rubinstein for the title a similar clause that if he resigned the title, it should become Rubinstein's. Lasker then resigned the title to Capablanca on June 27, 1920, saying, "You have earned the title not by the formality of a challenge, but by your brilliant mastery." When Cuban enthusiasts raised $20,000 to fund the match provided it was played in Havana, Lasker agreed in August 1920 to play there, but insisted that he was the challenger as Capablanca was now the champion. Capablanca signed an agreement that accepted this point, and soon afterwards published a letter confirming it. The match was played in March-April 1921; Lasker resigned it after just fourteen games, having lost four games and won none. Reuben Fine and Harry Golombek attributed the one-sided result to Lasker's being in mysteriously poor form. Fred Reinfeld mentioned speculations that Havana's humid climate weakened Lasker and that he was depressed about the outcome of World War I, especially as he had lost his life savings. On the other hand, Vladimir Kramnik thought that Lasker played quite well and the match was an "even and fascinating fight" until Lasker blundered in the last game. Kramnik explained that Capablanca was twenty years younger, a slightly stronger player, and had more recent competitive practice. Edward Winter, after a lengthy summary of the facts, concludes that, "The press was dismissive of Lasker's wish to confer the title on Capablanca, even questioning the legality of such an initiative, and in 1921 it regarded the Cuban as having become world champion by dint of defeating Lasker over the board." Reference works invariably give Capablanca's reign as titleholder as beginning in 1921, not 1920. The only challenger besides Capablanca to win the title without losing a game is Kramnik, in the Classical World Chess Championship 2000 against Garry Kasparov. The score sheet of Capablanca's defeat by Richard Riti in the New York 1924 chess tournament, his first loss in eight years Capablanca won the London tournament of 1922 with 13 points from 15 games with no losses, ahead of Alexander Alekhine on 11.5, Milan Vidmar (11), and Akiba Rubinstein (10.5). During this event, Capablanca proposed the "London Rules" to regulate future World Championship negotiations: the first player to win six games would win the match; playing sessions would be limited to 5 hours; the time limit would be 40 moves in 2.5 hours; the champion must defend his title within one year of receiving a challenge from a recognized master; the champion would decide the date of the match; the champion was not obliged to accept a challenge for a purse of less than US $10,000 (worth about $349,000 in 2006 terms; 20% of the purse was to be paid to the title holder and the remainder divided, 60% going to the winner of the match, and 40% to the loser; the highest purse bid must be accepted. Alekhine, Efim Bogoljubow, Giza Maroczy, Richard Reti, Rubinstein, Tartakower and Vidmar promptly signed them. Between 1921 and 1923 Alekhine, Rubinstein and Nimzowitsch all challenged Capablanca, but only Alekhine could raise the money, in 1927. In 1922, Capablanca also gave a simultaneous exhibition in Cleveland against 103 opponents, the largest in history up to that time, winning 102 and drawing one - setting a record for the best winning percentage ever in a large simultaneous exhibition. After beginning with four draws, followed by a loss, Capablanca placed second at the New York 1924 chess tournament with the score of 14/20 (+10 -1 =9), 1.5 points behind Emanuel Lasker, and 2 ahead of third-placed Alekhine. Capablanca's defeat at the hands of Richard Reti in the fifth round was his first in serious competition in eight years. He made another bad start at the Moscow 1925 chess tournament, and could only fight back to third place, two points behind Bogoljubow and .5 point behind Emanuel Lasker. Capablanca won at Lake Hopatcong, 1926 with 6 points out of 8, ahead of Abraham Kupchik (5) and Maroczy (4.5). A group of Argentinian businessmen, backed by a guarantee from the president of Argentina, promised the funds for a World Championship match between Capablanca and Alekhine in 1927. Since Nimzowitsch had challenged before Alekhine, Capablanca gave Nimzowitsch until January 1, 1927 to deposit a forfeit in order arrange a match. When this did not materialize, a Capablanca-Alekhine match was agreed, to begin in September 1927. In the New York 1927 chess tournament, played from February 19 to March 23, 1927, six of the world's strongest masters played a quadruple round robin, with the others being Alekhine, Rudolf Spielmann, Milan Vidmar, Nimzowitsch and Marshall, with Bogoljubow and Emanuel Lasker not present. Before the tournament, Capablanca wrote that he had "more experience but less power" than in 1911, that he had peaked in 1919 and that some of his competitors had become stronger in the meantime; however, he finished undefeated, winning the mini-matches with each of his rivals, 2.5 points ahead of second-place Alekhine, and won the "best game" prize for a win over Spielmann. In December 1921, shortly after becoming World Champion, Capablanca married Gloria Simoni Betancourt. They had a son, Jose Raul Jr., in 1923 and a daughter, Gloria, in 1925. According to Capablanca's second wife, Olga, his first marriage broke down fairly soon, and he and Gloria had affairs. Both his parents died during his reign, his father in 1923 and mother in 1926. ++1.A6 Losing the title Alekhine vs. Capablanca Since Capablanca had won the New York 1927 chess tournament overwhelmingly and had never lost a game to Alekhine, the Cuban was regarded by most pundits as the clear favorite in their World Chess Championship 1927 match. However, Alekhine won the match, played from September to November 1927 at Buenos Aires, by 6 wins, 3 losses, and 25 draws - the longest formal World Championship match until the contest in 1984-85 between Anatoly Karpov and Garry Kasparov. Alekhine's victory surprised almost the entire chess world. After Capablanca's death, Alekhine expressed surprise at his own victory, since in 1927 he had not thought he was superior to Capablanca, and he suggested that Capablanca had been over- confident. Capablanca entered the match with no technical or physical preparation, while Alekhine got himself into good physical condition, and had thoroughly studied Capablanca's play. According to Kasparov, Alekhine's research uncovered many small inaccuracies, which occurred because Capablanca was unwilling to concentrate intensely. Vladimir Kramnik commented that this was the first contest in which Capablanca had no easy wins. Ludek Pachman suggested that Capablanca, who was unused to losing games or to any other type of setback, became depressed over his unnecessary loss of the eleventh game, a long, gruelling endgame, featuring errors by both players. Immediately after winning the match, Alekhine announced that he was willing to give Capablanca a return match, on the same terms that Capablanca had required as champion - the challenger must provide a stake of US $10,000, of which more than half would go to the defending champion even if he was defeated. Alekhine had challenged Capablanca in the early 1920s but Alekhine could not raise the money until 1927. After Capablanca's death, Alekhine wrote that Capablanca's demand for a $10,000 stake was an attempt to avoid challenges. Negotiations dragged on for several years, often breaking down when agreement seemed in sight. Their relationship became bitter, and Alekhine demanded much higher appearance fees for tournaments in which Capablanca also played. ++1.A7 Post-championship and partial retirement Giving a simultaneous display on thirty boards in Berlin, June 1929 After losing the World Championship in late 1927, Capablanca played more often in tournaments, hoping to strengthen his claim for a rematch. From 1928 through 1931, he won six first prizes, also finishing second twice and one joint second. His competitors included rising stars such as Max Euwe and Isaac Kashdan, as well as players who had been established in the 1920s, but Capablanca and Alekhine never played in the same tournament during this period, and would next meet only at the Nottingham, 1936 tournament, after Alekhine had lost the world title to Euwe the preceding year. In late 1931, Capablanca also won a match (+2 -0 =8) against Euwe, whom Chessmetrics ranks sixth in the world at the time. Despite these excellent results, Capablanca's play showed signs of decline: his play slowed from the speed of his youth, with occasional time trouble; although he continued to produce many superb games, he also made some gross blunders. Chessmetrics nonetheless ranks Capablanca as the second strongest player in the world (after Alekhine) from his loss of the title through to autumn 1932, except for a brief appearance in the top place. After winning an event at New York in 1931, he withdrew from serious chess, perhaps disheartened by his inability to secure a return match against Alekhine, and played only less serious games at the Manhattan Chess Club and simultaneous displays. On 6 December 1933, Capablanca won all 9 of his games in one of the club's weekly rapid chess tournaments, finishing 2 points ahead of Samuel Reshevsky, Reuben Fine and Milton Hanauer. ++1.A8 Return to competitive chess At first Capablanca did not divorce his first wife, as he had not intended to re-marry. Olga, Capablanca's second wife, wrote that she met him in the late spring of 1934; by late October the pair were deeply in love, and Capablanca recovered his ambition to prove he was the world's best player. In 1938 he divorced his first wife and then married Olga on October 20, 1938, about a month before the AVRO tournament. Starting his comeback at the Hastings tournament of 1934-35, Capablanca finished fourth, although coming ahead of Mikhail Botvinnik and Andor Lilienthal. He placed second by .5 point in the Margate tournaments of 1935 and 1936. At Moscow in 1935 Capablanca finished fourth, 1 point behind the joint winners, while Emanuel Lasker's third place at the age of 66 was hailed as "a biological miracle." The following year, Capablanca won an even stronger tournament in Moscow, one point ahead of Botvinnik and 3.5 ahead of Salo Flohr, who took third place; A month later, he shared first place with Botvinnik at Nottingham, with a score of (+5 -1 =8), losing only to Flohr; Alekhine placed sixth, only one point behind the joint winners. These tournaments of 1936 were the last two that Lasker played, and the only ones in which Capablanca finished ahead of Lasker, now 67. During these triumphs Capablanca began to suffer symptoms of high blood pressure. He tied for second place at Semmering in 1937, then could only finish seventh of the eight players at the 1938 AVRO tournament, an ilite contest designed to select a challenger for Alekhine's world title. Capablanca's high blood pressure was not correctly diagnosed and treated until after the AVRO tournament, and caused him to lose his train of thought towards the end of playing sessions. After winning at Paris in 1938 and placing second in a slightly stronger tournament at Margate in 1939, Capablanca played for Cuba in the 8th Chess Olympiad, held in Buenos Aires, and won the gold medal for the best performance on the top board. While Capablanca and Alekhine were both representing their countries in Buenos Aires, Capablanca made a final attempt to arrange a World Championship match. Alekhine declined, saying he was obliged to be available to defend his adopted homeland, France, as World War II had just broken out. Alekhine also sat out the match when the teams from Cuba and France faced each other in the Buenos Aires Olympiad, thus declining an opportunity to play Capablanca once more. ++1.A9 Final years On March 7, 1942, Capablanca was observing a skittles game and chatting with friends at the Manhattan Chess Club in New York City, when he asked for help removing his coat, and collapsed shortly afterwards. He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he died at 6 a.m. the next morning. The cause of death was given as "a cerebral haemorrhage provoked by hypertension". Capablanca's great rival Emanuel Lasker had died in the same hospital only a year earlier. Capablanca's body was given a public funeral in Havana's Colon Cemetery on March 15, 1942. His bitter rival Alekhine wrote in a tribute to Capablanca: ... Capablanca was snatched from the chess world much too soon. With his death, we have lost a very great chess genius whose like we shall never see again. Emanuel Lasker once said: "I have known many chess players, but only one chess genius: Capablanca." An annual Capablanca Memorial tournament has been held in Cuba, most often in Havana, since 1962. ++1.B Assessment ++1.B1 Playing strength and style As an adult, Capablanca lost only 34 serious games. He was undefeated from February 10, 1916, when he lost to Oscar Chajes in the New York 1916 tournament, to March 21, 1924, when he lost to Richard Reti in the New York International tournament. During this streak, which included his 1921 World Championship match against Lasker, Capablanca played 63 games, winning 40 and drawing 23. In fact, only Marshall, Lasker, Alekhine and Rudolf Spielmann won two or more serious games from the mature Capablanca, though in each case, their overall lifetime scores were minus (Capablanca beat Marshall +20 -2 =28, Lasker +6 -2 =16, Alekhine +9 -7 =33), except for Spielmann who was level (+2 -2 =8). Of top players, only Keres had a narrow plus score against him (+1 -0 =5). Keres' win was at the AVRO 1938 chess tournament, during which tournament Capablanca turned 50, while Keres was 22. Statistical ranking systems place Capablanca high among the greatest players of all time. Nathan Divinsky and Raymond Keene's book Warriors of the Mind (1989) ranks him fifth, behind Garry Kasparov, Anatoly Karpov, Bobby Fischer and Mikhail Botvinnik - and immediately ahead of Emanuel Lasker. In his 1978 book The Rating of Chessplayers, Past and Present, Arpad Elo gave retrospective ratings to players based on their performance over the best five- year span of their career. He concluded that Capablanca was the strongest of those surveyed, with Lasker and Botvinnik sharing second place. Chessmetrics (2006) is rather sensitive to the length of the periods being compared, and ranks Capablanca between third and fourth strongest of all time for peak periods ranging in length from one to fifteen years. Its author, the statistician Jeff Sonas, concluded that Capablanca had more years in the top three than anyone except Lasker, Anatoly Karpov and Garry Kasparov - although Alexander Alekhine had more years in the top two positions. A 2006 study claimed to show that Capablanca was the most accurate of all the World Champions when compared with computer analysis of World Championship match games. However, this analysis was criticized for using a second-rank chess program, Crafty, modified to limit its calculations to six moves by each side, and for favoring players whose style matched that of the program. Boris Spassky, World Champion from 1969 to 1972, considered Capablanca the best player of all time. Bobby Fischer, who held the title from 1972 to 1975, admired Capablanca's "light touch" and ability to see the right move very quickly. Fischer reported that in the 1950s, older members of the Manhattan Chess Club spoke of Capablanca's performances with awe. Capablanca excelled in simple positions and endgames, and his positional judgment was outstanding, so much so that most attempts to attack him came to grief without any apparent defensive efforts on his part. However, he could play great tactical chess when necessary - most famously in the 1918 Manhattan Chess Club Championship tournament (in New York) where Marshall sprang a deeply-analyzed prepared variation on him, which he refuted while playing under the normal time limit (although ways have since been found to strengthen the Marshall Attack). He was also capable of using aggressive tactical play to drive home a positional advantage, provided he considered it safe and the most efficient way to win, for example against Spielmann in the 1927 New York tournament. ++1.B2 Influence on the game Capablanca founded no school per se, but his style was very influential in the games of two world champions: Fischer and Anatoly Karpov. Botvinnik also wrote how much he learned from Capablanca, and pointed out that Alekhine had received much schooling from him in positional play, before their fight for the world title made them bitter enemies. As a chess writer, Capablanca did not present large amounts of detailed analysis, instead focusing on the critical moments in a game. His writing style was plain and easy to understand. Botvinnik regarded Capablanca's book Chess Fundamentals as the best chess book ever written. Capablanca in a lecture and in his book A Primer of Chess pointed out that while the bishop was usually stronger than the knight, queen and knight was usually better than queen and bishop, especially in endings -- the bishop merely mimics the queen's diagonal move, while the knight can immediately reach squares the queen cannot. Research is divided over Capablanca's conclusion: in 2007, Glenn Flear found little difference, while in 1999, Larry Kaufman, analysing a large database of games, concluded that results very slightly favored queen plus knight. John Watson wrote in 1998 that an unusually large proportion of queen and knight versus queen and bishop endings are drawn, and that most decisive games are characterized by the winning side having one or more obvious advantages in that specific game. ++1.B3 Personality Early in his chess career, Capablanca had received some criticism, mainly in Britain, for the allegedly conceited description of his accomplishments in his first book, My Chess Career. He therefore took the unprecedented step of including virtually all of his tournament and match defeats up to that time in Chess Fundamentals, together with an instructive group of his victories. Nevertheless his preface to the 1934 edition of Chess Fundamentals is confident that the "reader may therefore go over the contents of the book with the assurance that there is in it everything he needs." However Julius du Mont wrote that he knew Capablanca well and could vouch that he was not conceited. In du Mont's opinion critics should understand the difference between the merely gifted and the towering genius of Capablanca, and the contrast between the British tendency towards false modesty and the Latin and American tendency to say "I played this game as well as it could be played" if he honestly thought that it was correct. Fischer also admired this frankness. Du Mont also said that Capablanca was rather sensitive to criticism, and chess historian Edward Winter documented a number of examples of self-criticism in My Chess Career. Despite his achievements Capablanca appeared more interested in baseball than in chess, which he described as "not a difficult game to learn and it is an enjoyable game to play." His second wife, Olga, thought he resented the way in which chess had dominated his life, and wished he could have studied music or medicine. ++1.C Capablanca chess In an interview in 1925 Capablanca denied reports that he thought chess had already currently reached its limit because it was easy for top players to obtain a draw. However he was concerned that the accelerating development of chess technique and opening knowledge might cause such stagnation in 50 years' time. Hence he suggested the adoption of a 10x8 board with 2 extra pieces per side: * Chancellor - a chancellor that moves as both a rook and a knight; * Archbishop - an archbishop that moves as both a bishop and a knight. This piece would be able to deliver checkmate on its own, which none of the conventional pieces can do. He thought this would prevent technical knowledge from becoming such a dominant factor, at least for a few centuries. Capablanca and Edward Lasker experimented with 10x10 and 10x8 boards, using the same expanded set of pieces. They preferred the 8-rank version as it encouraged combat to start earlier, and their games typically lasted 20 to 25 moves. Contrary to the claims of some critics, Capablanca proposed this variant while he was world champion, not as sour grapes after losing his title. Similar 10x8 variants had previously been described in 1617 by Pietro Carrera and in 1874 by Henry Bird, differing only in how the new pieces were placed in each side's back row. Subsequent variants inspired by Capablanca's experimentation have been proposed, including Grand chess (which uses a 10x10 board and has pawns on the third rank), Gothic Chess (which used to be patented), and Embassy Chess (the Grand chess setup on a 10x8 board). ++1.D Notable chess games * Jose Raul Capablanca vs L. Molina, Buenos Aires 1911, Queen's Gambit Declined: Modern. Knight Defense (D52), 1-0 An impressive Greco's sacrifice along with deceptive simplicity and effortless endgame. * Jose Raul Capablanca vs Frank James Marshall, ch Manhattan CC, New York 1918, Spanish Game: Marshall Attack. Original Marshall Attack (C89), 1-0 One of the most famous games of Capablanca. It is on record that Marshall unveiled this attack after careful preparation. Perfect example of defending against an extremely aggressive attack. * Jose Raul Capablanca vs Professor Marc Fonaroff, New York 1918, Spanish Game: Berlin Defense. Hedgehog Variation (C62), 1-0 A freaky ending with amazing accuracy. * Emanuel Lasker vs Jose Raul Capablanca, Lasker-Capablanca World Championship Match, Havana 1921. Queen's Gambit Declined: Orthodox Defense. Rubinstein Variation (D61), 0-1 A strategic masterpiece and instructive endgame which should be on everybody's list. Capablanca out-playing the great Lasker in the endgame with simple and perfect maneuvering of pieces. A must-see game for chess endgame fans. * Jose Raul Capablanca vs Savielly Tartakower, New York 1924, Dutch Defense, Horwitz Variation: General (A80), 1-0 A brilliant endgame from the natural genius. Dubbed as "Rook Before you Leap". Demonstrates the exceptional endgame skills of Capablanca with flawless artistry. * Jose Raul Capablanca vs Rudolf Spielmann, New York 1927, Queen's Gambit Declined: Barmen Variation (D37), 1-0 A remarkable tactical game which earned the "Brilliancy Price" for Capablanca. This is a showcase of Capablanca's tactical skills complementing positional supremacy. * Jose Raul Capablanca vs Andor Lilienthal, Moscow 1936, Reti Opening: Anglo-Slav. Bogoljubow Variation (A12), 1-0 A perfect endgame and pawn play utilizing the space against material advantage. * Ilia Abramovich Kan vs Jose Raul Capablanca, Moscow 1936, Vienna Game: Anderssen Defense (C25), 0-1 Another demonstration of Caplabanca's endgame supremacy. This game seems a drawn game, but witness how Capablanca ekes out a win using his positional mastery. ++1.E Writings * Havana 1913, by Jose Raul Capablanca. This is the only tournament book he wrote. It was originally published in Spanish in 1913 in Havana. Edward Winter translated it into English, and it appeared as a British Chess Magazine reprint, Quarterly #18, in 1976. * A Primer of Chess by Jose Raul Capablanca (preface by Benjamin Anderson). Originally published in 1935. Republished in 2002 by Harvest Books, ISBN 0156028077. * Chess Fundamentals by Jose Raul Capablanca (Originally published in 1921. Republished by Everyman Chess, 1994, ISBN 1857440730. Revised and updated by Nick de Firmian in 2006, ISBN 0-8129-3681-7.) * My Chess Career by Jose Raul Capablanca (Originally published by Macmillan in 1921. Republished by Dover in 1966. Republished by Hardinge Simpole Limited, 2003, ISBN 1843820919.) * The World's Championship Chess Match between Jose Raul Capablanca and Dr. Emanuel Lasker, with an introduction, the scores of all the games annotated by the champion, together with statistical matter and the biographies of the two masters, 1921 by Jose Raul Capablanca. (Republished in 1977 by Dover, together with a book on the 1927 match with annotations by Frederick Yates and William Winter, as World's Championship Matches, 1921 and 1927 by Jose Raul Capablanca. ISBN 0486231895.) * Last Lectures by Jose Raul Capablanca (Simon and Schuster, January 1966, ASIN B0007DZW6W) ++1.F Tournament results The following table gives Capablanca's placings and scores in tournaments. 1910 New York State 1st 20/20 +20 -0 =0. 1911 New York 2nd 9.5/12 +8 -1 =3. 1911 San Sebastian (Spain) 1st 9.5/14 +6 -1 =7 Ahead of Akiba Rubinstein and Milan Vidmar (9), Frank James Marshall (8.5) and 11 other world- class players. His only loss was to Rubinstein, and his win against Ossip Bernstein was awarded the brilliancy prize. 1913 New York 1st 11/13 +10 -1 =2 Ahead of Marshall (10.5), Charles Jaffe (9.5) and Dawid Janowski (9). 1913 Havana 2nd 10/14 +8 -2 =4 Behind Marshall (10.5); ahead of Janowski (9) and five others. 1913 New York 1st 13/13 +13 -0 =0 Ahead of Oldrich Duras. 1914 St. Petersburg 2nd 13/18 +10 -2 =6 Behind Emanuel Lasker (13.5); ahead of Alexander Alekhine (10), Siegbert Tarrasch (8.5) and Marshall (8). This tournament had an unusual structure: there was a preliminary tournament in which eleven players played each other player once; the top five players then played a separate final tournament in which each player who made the "cut" played the other finalists twice; but their scores from the preliminary tournament were carried forward. Even the preliminary tournament would now be considered a "super-tournament". Capablanca "won" the preliminary tournament by 1= points without losing a game, but Lasker achieved a plus score against all his opponents in the final tournament and finished with a combined score = point ahead of Capablanca's. 1915 New York 1st 13/14 +12 -0 =2 Ahead of Marshall (12) and six others. 1916 New York 1st 14/17 +12 -1 =4 Ahead of Janowski (11) and 11 others. The structure was similar to that of St. Petersburg 1914. 1918 New York 1st 10.5/12 +9 -0 =3 Ahead of Boris Kostic (9), Marshall (7), and four others. 1919 Hastings 1st 10.5/11 +10 -0 =1 Ahead of Kostic (9.5), Sir George Thomas (7), Frederick Yates (7) and eight others. 1922 London 1st 13/15 +11 -0 =4 Ahead of Alekhine (11.5), Vidmar (11), Rubinstein (10.5), Efim Bogoljubow (9), and 11 other players, mostly very strong. 1924 New York 2nd 14.5/20 +10 -1 =9 Behind Lasker (16); ahead of Alekhine (12), Marshall (11), Richard Riti (10.5) and six others, mostly very strong. 1925 Moscow 3rd 13.5/20 +9 -2 =9 Behind Bogojubow (15.5) and Lasker (14); ahead of Marshall (12.5) and a mixture of strong international players and rising Soviet players. 1926 Lake Hopatcong 1st 6/8 +4 -0 =4 Ahead of Abraham Kupchik (5), Giza Maroczy (4.5), Marshall (3) and Edward Lasker (1.5). 1927 New York 1st 14/20 +8 -0 =12 Ahead of Alekhine (11.5), Aron Nimzowitsch (10.5), Vidmar (10), Rudolf Spielmann (8) and Marshall (6). 1928 Berlin 1st 8.5/12 +5 -0 =7 Ahead of Nimzowitsch (7), Spielmann (6.5) and four other very strong players. 1928 Bad Kissingen 2nd 7/11 +4 -1 =6 Behind Bogojubow (8); ahead of Max Euwe (6.5), Rubinstein (6.5), Nimzowitsch (6) and seven other strong masters. 1928 Budapest 1st 7/9 +5 -0 =4 Ahead of Marshall (6), Hans Kmoch (5), Spielmann (5) and six others. 1929 Ramsgate 1st 5.5/7 +4 -0 =3 Ahead of Vera Menchik (5), Rubinstein (5), and four others. 1929 Carlsbad 2nd= 14.5/21 +10 -2 =9 Behind Nimzowitsch (15); tied with Spielmann; ahead of Rubinstein (13.5) and 18 others, mostly very strong. 1929 Budapest 1st 10.5/13 +8 -0 =5 Ahead of Rubinstein (9.5), Savielly Tartakower (8) and 11 others. 1929 Barcelona 1st 13.5/14 +13 -0 =1 Ahead of Tartakower (11.5) and 13 others. 1929-30 Hastings 1st 6.5/9 +4 -0 =5. 1930-31 Hastings 2nd 6.5/9 +5 -1 =3 Behind Euwe (7); ahead of eight others. 1931 New York 1st 10/11 +9 -0 =2 Ahead of Isaac Kashdan (8.5) and 10 others. 1934-35 Hastings 4th 5.5/9 +4 -2 =3 Behind Thomas, (6.5), Euwe (6.5) and Salo Flohr (6.5); ahead Mikhail Botvinnik (5), Andor Lilienthal (5) and four others. 1935 Moscow 4th 12/19 +7 -2 =10 Behind Botvinnik (13), Flohr (13) and Lasker (12.5); ahead of Spielmann (11) and 15 others, mainly Soviet players. 1935 Margate 2nd 7/9 +6 -1 =2 Behind Samuel Reshevsky (7.5); ahead of eight others. 1936 Margate 2nd 7/9 +5 -0 =4 Behind Flohr (7.5); ahead of Gideon Stehlberg and eight others. 1936 Moscow 1st 13/18 +8 -0 =10 Ahead of Botvinnik (12), Flohr (9.5), Lilienthal (9), Viacheslav Ragozin (8.5), Lasker (8) and four others. 1936 Nottingham 1st= 10/14 +7 -1 =6 Tied with Botvinnik; ahead of Euwe (9.5), Reuben Fine (9.5), Reshevsky (9.5), Alekhine (9), Flohr (8.5), Lasker (8.5) and seven other strong opponents. 1937 Semmering 3rd= 7.5/14 +2 -1 =11 Behind Paul Keres (9), Fine (8); tied with Reshevsky; ahead of Flohr (7), Erich Eliskases (6), Ragozin (6) and Vladimir Petrov (5). 1938 Paris 1st= 8/10 +6 -0 =4 Ahead of Nicolas Rossolimo (7.5) and four others. 1938 AVRO tournament, at ten cities in the Netherlands 7th 6/14 +2 -4 =8 Behind Keres (8.5), Fine (8.5), Botvinnik (7.5), Alekhine (7), Euwe (7) and Reshevsky (7); ahead of Flohr (4.5). 1939 Margate 2nd= 6.5/9 +4 -0 =5 Behind Keres (7.5); tied with Flohr; ahead of seven others. At the 1939 Chess Olympiad in Buenos Aires, Capablanca took the medal for best performance on a country's first board. ++1.G Match results Here are Capablanca's results in matches. 1901 Juan Corzo Won Havana 7-6 +4 -3 =6 For the championship of Cuba; Corzo was the reigning champion. 1909 Frank James Marshall Won New York 15-8 +8 -1 =14. 1919 Boris Kostic Won USA 5-0 +5 -0 =0. 1921 Emanuel Lasker Won Havana 9-5 +4 -0 =10 For the World Chess Championship. 1927 Alexander Alekhine Lost Buenos Aires 15.5-18.5 +3 -6 =25 For the World Chess Championship. 1931 Max Euwe Won Netherlands 6-4 +2 -0 =8 Euwe became World Champion 1935-1937. ++2. Savielly Tartakower Savielly Grigor'evich Tartakower (February 22, 1887 - February 4, 1956) was a leading Polish and French chess Grandmaster. He was also a leading chess journalist of the 1920s and 1930s. ++2.A Early career Young Tartakower He was of Jewish origin born on February 22, 1887, in Rostov-on- Don, Russia to Austrian citizens. He graduated from the law faculties of the universities in Geneva and Vienna. During his studies he became interested in chess and started attending chess meetings in various cafis for chess players in Vienna. He met many notable masters of the time, among them Carl Schlechter, Giza Marsczy (against whom he later won what was probably his most famous brilliancy, Milan Vidmar, and Richard Reti. His first achievement was first place in a tournament in Nuremberg in 1906. Three years later he achieved second place in the tournament in Vienna, losing only to Riti. During World War I he was drafted into the Austro-Hungarian army, and served as a staff officer on various posts. After the war he emigrated to France, and settled in Paris. Although Tartakower did not even speak Polish, after Poland regained its independence in 1918 he accepted Polish citizenship and became one of the most prominent honorary ambassadors of Poland abroad. ++2.B Chess professional In France, he decided to become a professional chess player. He also started cooperating with various chess-related magazines, as well as writing several books and brochures related to chess. The most famous of these, Die Hypermoderne Schachpartie ("The Hypermodernist Chess Game") was published in 1924 and has been issued in almost a hundred editions since. Tartakower took part in many of the most important chess tournaments of the epoch. In 1927 and 1928 he won two tournaments in Hastings and shared first place with Aron Nimzowitsch in London. On the latter occasion, he defeated such notable players as Frank Marshall, Milan Vidmar, and Efim Bogoljubov. In 1930 he won the Lihge tournament, beating Mir Sultan Khan by two points. Further down the list were, among others, Akiba Rubinstein, Nimzowitsch, and Marshall. He won twice the Polish Chess Championship, at Warsaw 1935 and Jurata 1937. In the 1930s Tartakower represented Poland in six Chess Olympiads, and France in 1950, winning three individual medals (gold in 1931 and bronze in 1933 and 1935), as well as five team medals (gold in 1930, two silver in 1931 and 1939, and two bronze in 1935 and 1937). * In 1930, at second board at 3rd Chess Olympiad in Hamburg (+9 -1 =6); * In 1931, at second board at 4th Chess Olympiad in Prague (+10 -1 =7); * In 1933, at first board at 5th Chess Olympiad in Folkestone (+6 -2 =6); * In 1935, at first board at 6th Chess Olympiad in Warsaw (+6 -0 =11); * In 1937, at first board at 7th Chess Olympiad in Stockholm (+1 -2 =10); * In 1939, at first board at 8th Chess Olympiad in Buenos Aires (+7 -3 =7); * In 1950, at first board at 9th Chess Olympiad in Dubrovnik (+5 -5 =5). In 1935 he was one of the main organizers of the Chess Olympiad in Warsaw. In 1939, the outbreak of World War II found him in Buenos Aires, where he was playing the 8th Chess Olympiad, representing Poland on a team which included Mieczyslaw Najdorf, who always referred to Tartakower as "my teacher." ++2.C Final years After a short stay in Argentina he decided to return to Europe. He arrived in France shortly before its collapse in 1940. Under the pseudonym Cartier, he joined the forces of general Charles de Gaulle. After World War II and the communist takeover of power in Poland, Tartakower became a French citizen. He played in the first Interzonal tournament at Saltsjvbaden 1948, but did not qualify for the Candidates tournament. He represented France at the 1950 Chess Olympiad. FIDE instituted the title of International Grandmaster in 1950; Tartakower was in the first group of players to receive that title. In 1953, he won French Chess Championship in Paris. He died on February 4, 1956, in Paris. ++2.D Personality and chess contributions Tartakower is regarded as one of the most notable chess personalities of his time. Harry Golombek translated Tartakower's book of his best games, and in the foreword wrote: Dr. Tartakower is far and away the most cultured and the wittiest of all the chess masters I have ever met. His extremely well stored mind and ever-flowing native wit make conversation with him a perpetual delight. So much so that I count it as one of the brightest attractions an international tournament can hold out for me that Dr. Tartakower should also be one of the participants. His talk and thought are rather like a modernized blend of Baruch Spinoza and Voltaire; and with it all a dash of paradoxical originality that is essential Tartakower. A talented chess player, Tartakower is also known for his countless aphorisms, which are sometimes called Tartakoverisms. One of the variations of the Dutch Defense is named after him. The Tartakower Defense in the Queen's Gambit Declined (also known as the Tartakower-Makogonov-Bondarevsky System) also bears his name, as does the most common variation of the Torre Attack. He is alleged to be the inventor of the Orangutan Opening 1. b4 ..., so named after Tartakower fell in love with a great ape during his visit to the zoo whilst playing in the great 1924 tournament in New York. Tartakower originated the Catalan Opening at Barcelona 1929. This system starts with 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. g3. It remains very popular today at all levels. Jose Raul Capablanca scored +5 -0 =7 against Tartakower, but they had many hard fights. After their fighting draw in London 1922 (where Tartakower played his new defense), Capablanca said, "You are lacking in solidity", and Tartakower replied in his usual banter, "That is my saving grace". But in Capablanca's reports of the 1939 Chess Olympiad in Buenos Aires for the Argentine newspaper Crmtica, he wrote: The Polish team ... is captained and led by Dr S. Tartakower, a master with profound knowledge and great imagination, qualities which make him a formidable adversary. ... Luckily for the others, the Polish team has only one Tartakower. Sugden and Damsky stated that like other chess players of all ages and ranks among whom there is generally no lack of idiosyncrasy-or little superstition, Tartakower, a trenchant wit, took a most unsightly old hat with him from tournament to tournament. "He would only wear it on the last round and he would win. Notably this hat did not guarantee him success in casinos, which he visited as though it were a job of work. The roulette table would regularly acquire both the Grandmaster's prizes and the numerous fees from his endless string of articles." ++2.E Quotations * "It's always better to sacrifice your opponent's men." * "An isolated pawn spreads gloom all over the chessboard." * "The blunders are all there on the board, waiting to be made." * "The winner of the game is the player who makes the next- to-last mistake." * "It is not enough to be a good player; you must also play well." * "The move is there, but you must see it." * "No game was ever won by resigning." * "I never defeated a healthy opponent." This quotation refers to players who blame an illness, sometimes imaginary, for their loss. * "Tactics is knowing what to do when there is something to do. Strategy is knowing what to do when there is nothing to do." * "Moral victories do not count." ++2.F Notable chess games * Rudolf Spielmann vs Savielly Tartakower, Copenhagen 1923, Caro-Kann Defense: Exchange Variation (B13), 0-1 * Savielly Tartakower vs Akiba Rubinstein, Moscow International Tournament 1925, Bishop's Opening: Vienna Hybrid (C28), 1-0 * Savielly Tartakower vs Jacques Mieses, Baden-Baden 1925, Dutch Defense: Staunton Gambit, Tartakower Variation (A82), 1-0 * Alexander Alekhine vs Savielly Tartakower, Folkestone ol 1933, Queen's Gambit Declined: Tartakower Defense, (D58), 0-1 ++2.G Writings of Savielly Tartakower * 500 Master Games of Chess by Savielly Tartakower and Julius du Mont, Dover Publications, June 1, 1975, ISBN 0-486-23208-5. (Previously published in two volumes by G. Bell & Sons, 1952.) * Briviaire des ichecs, one of the best known introductory texts for chess in the French language. * My Best Games Of Chess 1905-1954 by S.G. Tartakower, Dover Publications, 1985, ISBN 0-486-24807-0. The definitive recollection of Tartakower's career, written in his unique style; translated by Harry Golombek. ++3. Jose Raul Capablanca - Savielly Tartakower, New York 1924 New York 1924, Round 6 White: Jose Raul Capablanca Black: Savielly Tartakower Result: 1-0 ECO: A85 - Dutch Defense Notes by R.J. Macdonald 1. d4 e6 2. Nf3 f5 (Transposing into the Dutch Defense. The traditional Dutch Defense opens with 1. d4 f5.) 3. c4 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. Nc3 0-0 6. e3 b6 7. Bd3 Bb7 8. 0-0 Qe8 (8. ... Nc6 9. Rc1 h6 10. Bh4 Ne4 11. Bxe7 Nxe7 12. Bxe4 fxe4 13. Nd2 d5 14. Qg4 Rf6 15. Ne2 Qd6 16. Qg3 Qxg3 17. hxg3 c6 18. b4 Nf5 19. a4 Nd6 20. c5 Nf7 21. b5 e5 22. Nb3 Rb8 23. Rc2 1/2-1/2 in 69 moves, as in the game J. Nogueiras Santiago (2575) - A. Jussupow (2610), Rotterdam 1989.) 9. Qe2!? (Also to be considered are (a) 9. Be2 h6 10. Bf4 d6 11. h3 a6 12. Rc1 g5 13. Bh2 Nbd7 14. Na4 Rc8 15. c5 dxc5 16. dxc5 Nxc5 17. Nxc5 Bxc5 18. Ne5 Kg7 19. Qb3 Qe7 20. Rfd1 Rfd8 21. Rxd8 Rxd8 22. Bxa6 Bxa6 23. Nc6 Qd7 0-1 in 31 moves, as in the game H. Picard - G. Jannis, Lommel 2003; and (b) 9. Bxf6 gxf6 (9. ... Bxf6 10. e4 fxe4 11. Nxe4 Be7 12. Ng3 Bxf3 13. gxf3 Qf7 14. Kg2 Nc6 15. Be2 Bf6 16. d5 Nd4 17. d6 Nxe2 18. Qxe2 cxd6 19. Rfd1 Be5 20. b3 Rac8 21. Rd3 Qe7 22. Rad1 Rf4 23. Ne4 Rh4 24. h3 0-1, as in the game A. Minenko (2326) - N. Yushinov, Berezovskoe 2008) 10. e4 Bxe4 11. Bxe4 fxe4 12. Nxe4 f5 13. Nc3 Bf6 14. Nb5 Bd8 15. d5 a6 16. Nc3 e5 17. d6 c6 18. c5 b5 19. Re1 e4 20. Nd5 a5 21. Qb3 cxd5 22. Qxd5+ Qf7 23. Qxa8 Nc6 0-1 in 41 moves, as inthe game A. Crahan (1867) - S. Le Marec (2064), Rennes 2009. 9. a3 a5 gives white a slight advantage.) 9. ... Ne4 10. Bxe7 Nxc3 11. bxc3 Qxe7 12. a4 Bxf3 13. Qxf3 Nc6 14. Rfb1 (14. e4 fxe4 15. Qxe4 g6 gives white a slight advantage.) 14. ... Rae8 15. Qh3 (15. Rb5 g6 offers equal chances.) 15. ... Rf6 (15. ... Na5 16. Qg3 offers equality.) 16. f4 Na5 (16. ... Rh6 17. Qf3 offers equal chances.) 17. Qf3 d6 (17. ... Rf7 18. e4 offers equal chances.) 18. Re1 (18. e4 g6 offers equal chances.) 18. ... Qd7 (18. ... e5 19. e4 Nb3 20. Rad1 exd4 21. e5 dxe5 22. Rxe5 gives white a slight advantage.) 19. e4 (White now stands slightly better.) 19. ... fxe4 20. Qxe4 g6 21. g3 Kf8 (21. ... Rff8 22. c5 gives white a slight advantage.) 22. Kg2 (22. c5 dxc5 23. dxc5 Qd5 24. cxb6 Qxe4 25. Rxe4 cxb6 leads to equality.) 22. ... Rf7 (22. ... c5 23. dxc5 dxc5 24. Be2 offers equal chances.) 23. h4 (23. c5 dxc5 24. dxc5 Rd8 25. cxb6 cxb6 offers equal chances.) 23. ... d5 (23. ... c5 24. Ra2 offers equal chances.) 24. cxd5 (24. Qe2 Nxc4 25. h5 gxh5 26. Qxh5 Ree7 gives white a slight edge.) 24. ... exd5 25. Qxe8+ (25. Qf3 Nc4 gives white a slight advantage.) 25. ... Qxe8 26. Rxe8+ Kxe8 27. h5 Rf6 (27. ... gxh5 28. Rh1.) 28. hxg6 (28. Re1+ Kf7 gives white a slight edge.) 28. ... hxg6 29. Rh1 Kf8 30. Rh7 (White threatens to win material: Rh7xc7. 30. Rh8+ Kg7 31. Rd8 Rc6 32. Rxd5 Rxc3 offers equal chances.) 30. ... Rc6 (Both players now have equal chances.) 31. g4 Nc4 32. g5 (White has a new backward pawn on f4.) Key Move Diagram: 5k2/ p1p4R/ 1pr3p1/ 3p2P1/ P1nP1P2/ 2PB4/ 6K1/ 8 Position after white's 32nd move. 32. ... Ne3+ (32. ... a6 33. Kf2 leads to equality.) 33. Kf3 (33. Kf2 Nd1+ 34. Ke2 Nxc3+ 35. Kd2 Na2 leaves white slightly better. 35. ... Nxa4? doesn't lead to anything significant: 36. Bb5 Re6 37. Bxa4 with a very strong advantage for white.) 33. ... Nf5 (33. ... Nd1 34. Ke2 Nxc3+ 35. Kd2 with a slight advantage for white.) 34. Bxf5 (White has a slight advantage.) 34. ... gxf5 (A rook endgame occurs.) 35. Kg3 Rxc3+ 36. Kh4 Key Move Diagram: 5k2/ p1p4R/ 1p6/ 3p1pP1/ P2P1P1K/ 2r5/ 8/ 8 Position after white's 36th move. 36. ... Rf3?? (36. ... a6 is just about the only chance.) 37. g6 Rxf4+ (37. ... c5 does not solve anything after 38. Kg5, giving white a decisive advantage.) 38. Kg5 Re4 (38. ... Rxd4 is one last hope, but after 39. Kf6 Ke8 40. Rxc7 Rg4 white is just too strong. 40. ... Rxa4 fails to the following pretty mating combination: 41. Re7+ Kd8 42. g7 Rg4 43. Rxa7 f4 44. g8=R+ Rxg8 45. Ra8+ Kd7 46. Rxg8 Kd6 47. Rd8+ Kc7 48. Rxd5 f3 49. Ke5 f2 50. Rd1 Kc6 51. Rf1 Kc5 52. Rxf2 Kc4 53. Rc2+ Kd3 54. Rb2 Kc4 55. Rxb6 Kc5 56. Rf6 Kc4 57. Rd6 Kc3 58. Rd4 Kb3 59. Kd5 Kc3 60. Kc5 Kb3 61. Rd3+ Kb2 62. Kb4 Kc2 63. Rd4 Kb2 64. Rc4 Ka2 65. Kc3 Ka1 66. Kc2 Ka2 67. Ra4#.) 39. Kf6 Kg8 40. Rg7+ Kh8 41. Rxc7 Re8 42. Kxf5 Re4 (42. ... Ra8, praying for a miracle.) 43. Kf6 Rf4+ 44. Ke5 Rg4 (44. ... Rf1 hardly improves anything after 45. Rxa7 Re1+ 46. Kxd5 Re8 47. Kc6 Rc8+ 48. Kb7 Rc2 49. g7+ Kxg7 50. Kxb6+ Kf6 51. a5 Ke6 52. a6 Rb2+ 53. Kc7 Rc2+ 54. Kb8 Kd6 55. Rb7 Re2 56. Rb6+ Kd5 57. a7 Re8+ 58. Kb7 Re7+ 59. Ka6 Rxa7+ 60. Kxa7 Kxd4 61. Kb7 Kc5 62. Re6 Kd5 63. Re8 Kd6 64. Kb6 Kd5 65. Kb5 Kd4 66. Kc6 Kc3 67. Kd5 Kd3 68. Kc5 Kc3 69. Rd8 Kb3 70. Rd3+ Kb2 71. Kb4 Kc2 72. Rd4 Kb2 73. Rc4 Ka1 74. Ka3 Kb1 75. Kb3 Ka1 76. Rc1#.) Key Move Diagram: 7k/ p1R5/ 1p4P1/ 3pK3/ P2P2r1/ 8/ 8/ 8 Position after black's 44th move. 45. g7+! (This move seals black's fate.) 45. ... Kg8 (45. ... Rxg7 46. Rxg7 Kxg7 47. Kxd5.) 46. Rxa7 Rg1 (46. ... Rh4 is not much help after 47. Kxd5 Rh2 48. Ra8+ Kxg7 49. Kc6 Rb2 50. Rb8 Ra2 51. Rxb6 Rxa4 52. d5 Kf7 53. Rb7+ Kf6 54. d6 Rc4+ 55. Kd7 Ra4 56. Rb2 Ra7+ 57. Kc8 Ra8+ 58. Rb8 Ra2 59. d7 Rc2+ 60. Kd8 Kf7 61. Rc8 Rd2 62. Kc7 Rc2+ 63. Kb6 Rb2+ 64. Ka6 Rd2 65. d8=Q Rxd8 66. Rxd8 Ke6 67. Kb5 Kf5 68. Kc4 Ke5 69. Rd4 Kf5 70. Kd5 Kf6 71. Ke4 Ke6 72. Kf4 Kf6 73. Re4 Kg6 74. Re6+ Kf7 75. Kf5 Kg7 76. Rf6 Kh7 77. Rg6 Kh8 78. Ke6 Kh7 79. Kf7 Kh8 80. Rh6#.) 47. Kxd5 Rc1 (47. ... Rg5+ doesn't change the outcome of the game: 48. Kd6 Rf5 49. Ra8+ Kxg7 50. Kc7 Rf4 51. Kxb6 Rxd4 52. a5 Rd6+ 53. Kc5 Rd1 54. a6 Ra1 55. Kb6 Rb1+ 56. Ka7 Kf6 57. Rb8 Rd1 58. Ka8 Rd7 59. a7 Ke6 60. Re8+ Kf7 61. Re1 Rd3 62. Rb1 Re3 63. Kb7 Re7+ 64. Ka6 Re6+ 65. Rb6 Re8 66. Rc6 Ke7 67. Kb7 Kd7 68. Rb6 Rg8 69. a8=R Rxa8 70. Kxa8 Kc7 71. Ra6 Kd7 72. Kb8 Ke7 73. Kc7 Ke8 74. Kd6 Kf7 75. Kd7 Kf8 76. Ke6 Kg7 77. Ke7 Kg8 78. Kf6 Kh7 79. Ra8 Kh6 80. Rh8#.) 48. Kd6 (48. Ra8+ Kxg7 49. Rb8 Ra1 50. Kc6 Kf7 51. d5 Ke7 52. Rxb6 Rxa4 53. Rb7+ Kf6 54. d6 Rc4+ 55. Kd7 Ra4 56. Rb3 Ra7+ 57. Kc8 Ra8+ 58. Rb8 Ra2 59. Kd8 Rh2 60. d7 Kf7 61. Rc8 Ke6 62. Rc6+ Ke5 63. Kc8 Ra2 64. d8=Q Ra8+ 65. Kc7 Rxd8 66. Kxd8 Kd5 67. Kd7 Ke4 68. Ke6 Kd4 69. Rd6+ Ke4 70. Rd5 Kf4 71. Re5 Kg4 72. Rf5 Kg3 73. Kf6 Kg2 74. Kg5 Kg3 75. Rf4 Kh2 76. Kg4 Kg2 77. Rf5 Kh1 78. Kg3 Kg1 79. Rf4 Kh1 80. Rf1#.) 48. ... Rc2 (48. ... Rc4 does not help much either after 49. d5 Rb4 50. Rb7 Rd4 51. Rb8+ Kh7 52. g8=Q+ Kh6 53. Rb7 Rxd5+ 54. Kxd5 Kh5 55. Rh7#.) 49. d5 (49. Ra8+ Kxg7 50. Rb8 Rb2 51. Kc6 Ra2 52. Rxb6 Rxa4 53. d5 Kf7 54. Rb7+ Kf6 55. d6 Rc4+ 56. Kd7 Ra4 57. Rb3 Ra7+ 58. Kc8 Ra8+ 59. Rb8 Ra2 60. d7 Rc2+ 61. Kd8 Kf7 62. Rc8 Rb2 63. Rc3 Ra2 64. Kc7 Ra7+ 65. Kc6 Ra8 66. Kb7 Ke6 67. Kxa8 Kxd7 68. Rc5 Kd6 69. Rh5 Kc6 70. Ka7 Kd7 71. Rh6 Kc7 72. Rb6 Kd7 73. Kb8 Ke7 74. Kc7 Ke8 75. Kd6 Kf7 76. Kd7 Kg8 77. Ke6 Kf8 78. Kf6 Kg8 79. Ra6 Kh7 80. Ra8 Kh6 81. Rh8#.) 49. ... Rc1 (49. ... Rc8 is a fruitless try to alter the course of the game: 50. Rc7 Re8 51. Kd7 Re4 52. Rc8+ Kxg7 53. Rb8 Rb4 54. Kc7 Kf7 55. Rxb6 Rxa4 56. d6 Ra7+ 57. Rb7 Ra8 58. Rb4 Ra7+ 59. Kc8 Ke6 60. Rd4 Ra8+ 61. Kb7 Ra1 62. d7 Rb1+ 63. Ka6 Ra1+ 64. Kb5 Rb1+ 65. Ka5 Ra1+ 66. Kb4 Rb1+ 67. Kc3 Rb8 68. d8=Q Rxd8 69. Rxd8 Ke5 70. Kd3 Ke6 71. Ke4 Ke7 72. Rd1 Kf6 73. Rd6+ Ke7 74. Kd5 Kf7 75. Kc6 Kg7 76. Kc7 Kf7 77. Kd8 Kg8 78. Ke7 Kg7 79. Rb6 Kg8 80. Kf6 Kh7 81. Rb8 Kh6 82. Rh8#.) 50. Rc7 (50. Ra8+ Kxg7 51. Rb8 Rb1 52. Kc6 Rb4 53. Rxb6 Rxa4 54. d6 Kf7 55. Rb3 Ra6+ 56. Kd7 Ra7+ 57. Kc8 Ra8+ 58. Rb8 Ra2 59. d7 Rc2+ 60. Kd8 Ra2 61. Rb1 Rg2 62. Rc1 Ra2 63. Kc8 Ke6 64. Re1+ Kf5 65. d8=Q Ra8+ 66. Kd7 Rxd8+ 67. Kxd8 Kf6 68. Kd7 Kf5 69. Kd6 Kf4 70. Kd5 Kf3 71. Re4 Kg3 72. Ke5 Kf3 73. Kf5 Kg3 74. Rf4 Kh3 75. Rg4 Kh2 76. Ke4 Kh1 77. Kf3 Kh2 78. Kf2 Kh3 79. Rf4 Kh2 80. Rh4#.) 50. ... Ra1 (50. ... Rb1 doesn't get the cat off the tree: 51. Kc6 Rc1+ 52. Kb7 Rd1 53. Rc8+ Kxg7 54. Kxb6 Rxd5 55. a5 Rd2 56. Rc6 Rb2+ 57. Kc7 Kf7 58. a6 Ra2 59. Kb7 Rb2+ 60. Rb6 Rd2 61. a7 Rd7+ 62. Ka6 Rd8 63. Rc6 Ke7 64. Kb7 Kd7 65. Rh6 Ke7 66. a8=Q Rxa8 67. Kxa8 Kf7 68. Kb7 Kg7 69. Rc6 Kh7 70. Rd6 Kg8 71. Rd7 Kf8 72. Kc6 Ke8 73. Kd6 Kf8 74. Ke6 Kg8 75. Kf6 Kh8 76. Kg6 Kg8 77. Rd8#.) 51. Kc6 Rxa4 (51. ... Rc1+ does not improve anything after 52. Kb7 Rd1 53. Rc8+ Kxg7 54. Kxb6 Rxd5 55. a5 Rd2 56. Rc6 Rb2+ 57. Kc7 Kf7 58. a6 Ra2 59. Kb7 Rb2+ 60. Rb6 Rd2 61. a7 Rd7+ 62. Ka6 Rd8 63. Rc6 Ke7 64. Kb7 Kd7 65. Rh6 Ke7 66. a8=Q Rxa8 67. Kxa8 Kf7 68. Kb7 Kg7 69. Rd6 Kf7 70. Kc6 Ke7 71. Kc7 Kf7 72. Kd7 Kg8 73. Ke6 Kf8 74. Kf6 Kg8 75. Rc6 Kh7 76. Rc8 Kh6 77. Rh8#.) 52. d6 (Black resigned in view of 52. ... Rd4 53. Rc8+ Kh7 54. g8=Q+ Kh6 55. Rc7 Rc4+ 56. Kb7 Rxc7+ 57. dxc7 b5 58. c8=Q b4 59. Qh3#. 52. Kxb6 Rb4+ 53. Kc5 Rb1 54. d6 Rc1+ 55. Kd5 Rd1+ 56. Kc6 Rc1+ 57. Kb7 Rb1+ 58. Kc8 Ra1 59. d7 Ra8+ 60. Kb7 Rd8 61. Rc8 Rxc8 62. dxc8=Q+ Kxg7 63. Qf5 Kg8 64. Kc6 Kg7 65. Kd5 Kg8 66. Ke6 Kg7 67. Qg5+ Kh7 68. Kf6 Kh8 69. Qg7# is also possible.) 1-0