Jose Raul Capablanca vs Aron Nimzowitsch (1927)

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Jose Raul Capablanca vs Aron Nimzowitsch
New York (1927), New York, NY USA, rd 19, Mar-20
Queen's Indian Defense: Capablanca Variation (E16) · 1/2-1/2

ANALYSIS [x]

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< Earlier Kibitzing · PAGE 1 OF 3 · Later Kibitzing>
Sep-15-05		keypusher: I am copying <whithergoes>' post on to this page, since it concerns this game: <Regarding the 1927 New York Tournament, according to Nathan Divinsky, "The Encyclopedia of Chess," p. 143: "Capablanca was an easy victor. With 3 rounds to go he was already assured of 1st prize. He declared that he would draw his last 3 games (against Alekhine, Vidmar, and Nimzowitsch) in order not to affect the struggle for 2nd place. It seems that Nimzowitsch played some bizzare moves and got into a bad position. Capablanca complained to the tournament director that unless Nimzowitsch played better, he (Capablanca) would be forced to win the game! Finally Capablanca actually dictated the last 4 or 5 moves, which Nimzowitsch played rather apprehensively, and the game was drawn."> Soltis wrote that 21 Rd6 was probably winning for white.

Sep-15-05		RookFile: It's hard to say. Looked at this with Fritz, 21. Rd6 is certainly right on the cusp, if black has a defense, it requires absolute precision.

Sep-15-05		delterp: You mean Nimzowitsch sometimes played bizarre moves???? No!!!! Can't be!

Sep-15-05		keypusher: <delterp> Divinsky probably wrote "bizarre" because he was too polite to write "lousy". Even to my patzer's eyes 15...c5 and 20...g6 look pretty stupid.

Sep-15-05		Gypsy: <keypusher: ... Soltis wrote that 21 Rd6 was probably winning for white.> Thanks. It definitely looks bleak for Black; somewhere between a win and a draw. Maybe still drawable in abstraction maybe not, but Capa had too much of a technical advantage over Nimzo.

Sep-15-05		Gypsy: <Even to my patzer's eyes 15...c5 and 20...g6 look pretty stupid.> Of course, the purpose of 20...g6 is to take f5 from the white knight. But Black does not have time for that and 20...Kf8 seems to be the only realy playable move.

Sep-15-05		OhioChessFan: I don't have a Fritz. What's the threat with Rd6? I played around with Kf8 in hopes of trapping the White Rook on the 6th rank, but Nd5 stops all variations. The simple Kg7 and then Re8 seems to hold easily.

Sep-15-05		Gypsy: <OhioChessFan: I don't have a Fritz. What's the threat with Rd6? ... The simple Kg7 and then Re8 seems to hold easily.> Consider for instance this variation: 21.Rd6 Kg6 22.Kf2 Re8(?) 23.Nd5 Nxd5 (essentially forced) and 24.cxd5 (protected advanced passer) Kf8 25.Ke3 Ke7 26.Rc6 Rd8 27.Kd3 Rd7 28.Rc8 ... and the further march of White king Kd3-c4-b5-a6 looks quite decisive.

Sep-15-05		keypusher: <Ohiochessfan> It's not so much that there is an immediate threat as that it gives white an absolute hammerlock on the position. If black moves his knight away from f6 then white gets to post his own knight on d5. If black plays ...Kg7 then he can never challenge white on the only open file. white can move his king up, experiment with various winning plans, and also play Nd5 at some point to get a protected passed pawn. But <gypsy> is a far stronger analyst than I am; maybe he'll have something to say.

Sep-15-05		RookFile: At least half the problem is black's passively placed rook. This is no joke, masters are able to win rook and pawn endings (which is what you get on a knight trade) solely because the worse side has a passive rook.

Sep-15-05		keypusher: Ah, he already did!

Sep-15-05		Gypsy: <keypusher> You extracted the essence of White advantage. Black draughty pawn structure probably can not cope with White king penetration.

Sep-15-05		notyetagm: The <domination of open files> seems to be a major component of Capablanca's formula for success.

Sep-15-05		delterp: <keypusher> Didn't mean to sound like I was questioning, but I think Nimzo loved to play borderline moves just to prove they could be played. He and Bronstein were great experimentationalists.

Sep-15-05		notyetagm: <delterp: ... but I think Nimzo loved to play borderline moves just to prove they could be played.> When you play borderline moves against Capablanca, you lose.

Sep-15-05		keypusher: <I think Nimzo loved to play borderline moves just to prove they could be played.> Not against Capablanca. In most of their games, Nimzowitsch gives the impression that he is trying for a draw from the first move onwards. 15...c5 and 20...g6 weren't the sort of unusual, creative moves you often see from Nimzowitsch against other opponents. They were just weak.

Sep-15-05		delterp: Queen's Indian is actually one of my favorite defenses to 1 d4. I know it has a reputation for being drawish, but I have become fond of it. My opinion is that there is nothing wrong with 15...c5 except that it should have been played instead of 13...e5. Black needs to lash out at white's center or else get rolled.

Sep-15-05		keypusher: <My opinion is that there is nothing wrong with 15...c5 except that it should have been played instead of 13...e5.> Well, sure. It's not as if ...c5 is an intrinsically weak move. If he had played 13...c5 and then 15...e5 I would be condemming 15...e5. In combination, the two pawn moves waste time and allow -- practically force -- white to dominate the d-file.

Sep-15-05		Gypsy: I think I transposed the moves: It is 21.Rd6! Kg7 22.Nd5 Nxd5 23.cxd5 ... that gives White quite fair winnig chances. (Variation 22...Ne8 23.Rd7 Nf6 24.Re7 ... drops a pawn right away.) In trying to finesse the knight exchange, however, I missed a good defense for Black: 21.Rd6 Kg7 22.Kf2? Re8 23.Nd5 Re6! 24.Rd8 Re8 25.Rxe8 Nxe8 26.Ke3 Nd6 27.Kd3(b3) f5 ... where White advantage suddenly seems minimal.

Sep-16-05		Calli: <Gypsy> Excellent! Its so funny. Capablanca being very afraid that he was going to win this game and forcing Nimzo to play better.

Sep-16-05		ughaibu: It's another dubious story, why dictate moves instead of immediately agreeing a draw?

Sep-16-05		Calli: No, this one is actually true. Capablanca clinched first place with three rounds to go. He announced that he preferred to draw the three remaining games in order to not influence the second prize. When Nimzo began to falter, Capa asked the TD to tell Nimzo the next couple of moves after which a draw could be agreed. The TD later comfirmed the story in print. Capablanca wrote in the NY Times: "... we had a chance to win, of which we did not avail ourselves." A strange, but true episode in chess history.

Sep-16-05		RookFile: For example, even in the final position, white is still better. You know that Fischer would have played this one out against somebody like Taimanov.

Sep-16-05		ughaibu: Calli: Thanks. I still dont see why more moves needed to be played before a draw could be agreed(?) and Capablanca's idea that he was avoiding influencing the fight for second place was nonsense unless he had drawn all his earlier games in the final cycle.

Sep-17-05		Boomie: <Gypsy> 21. ♖d6 looks golden. 21. ♖d6 ♔g7 22. ♘d5 ♘xd5 23. cxd5 ♔f8 (23...♖b8 24. ♖d7 a5 25. ♔f2 (1.64/16)) 24. ♖d7 (1.41/16) and black is helpless.

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