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Frank James Marshall vs Jose Raul Capablanca
New York 1909  ·  Queen's Gambit Declined: Lasker Defense (D53)  ·  0-1


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Kibitzer's Corner
Mar-13-03
Premium Chessgames Member
  Sneaky: Wow, "Slugfest" is right! I am always amazed at games like this: the complications run so deep, and the tactics are so wild, it's hard for me to say for certain who is winning. Then, in the end, as usual, Capablanca emerges on top.
Mar-13-03   ughaibu: It seems likely from his choice of openings that Marshall didn't take Capablanca very seriously in this match, but it was certainly a crushing defeat. Marshall didn't show to best advantage in matches being crushed also by Lasker and, I think, Tarrasch.
Jun-27-03   coke934: Jose Raul Capablanca how can you take this guy for a joke, if you do your the joke!
Jun-27-03
Premium Chessgames Member
  euripides: Was this the first game to take on the Black side of this kind of position, like a semi-Tarrasch or a Grunfeld ?

I've read that White could have drawn or won with Qe8+ at some stage, but I don't see it in the game.

May-16-04
Premium Chessgames Member
  Gypsy: <I've read that White could have drawn or won with Qe8+ at some stage, but I don't see it in the game.> That is because some author introduced an error into the game record and this error was propagated from source to source. The error allowed a combination starting with Qe8. (See Chernev "Capablanca's Best Endings".)
Sep-29-04   Eggman: <<Jose Raul Capablanca ... how can you take this guy for a joke?>>

At the time this match was played Marshall was the bigger name. The result was a surprise and represented Capablanca's big breakthrough.

Sep-29-04
Premium Chessgames Member
  Karpova: especially since marshall had played lasker for the wc title two years before this match took place
Sep-30-04   capanegra: You're right <Gypsy>. The invented position starts after 44…Ba2, but with White's Queen on c6 instead of b6. In fact, after 45.Qb5 the threat was actually Qe8+/f4+/Qe2#. That is why Capa answered 45…Kg6. Hence, Marshall never had the chance to mate him.
Feb-05-05   azi: Marshall didn't have a chance. While he was an excellent and creative attacker, he or no one else had the natural, accurate vision of the board and pieces that Capa did. Truly a natural phenomenon.
Jul-11-05
Premium Chessgames Member
  AdrianP: Black can grab the h-pawn a move earlier with 33...Nh4! 34. Kh3 (34. Kh2 Nf3+ 35. Kg2 Ng5+) Nf3, when after 35. Rxe4 black has Ng5+ picking up the rook. Chernev misses this as well.
Jul-11-05
Premium Chessgames Member
  Boomie: Marshall's position looks fine after move 17. Perhaps his affinity for king side attacks led him astray. Many of us would play the minority attack 18. a4 which gives white good play on the queen side. With 18. Rad1 and 19. Re3?, Marshall telegraphs his intention to attack the king side.

After 20. Rc3!, white's small positional advantage has vanished. 21. Bb1? is vulnerable to a shot, 21...e5, which Capa misses. After 21...g5, 22. Qg3 just about equalizes. 22. Nxg5? followed by 23. Qxe3? produces a lost game. The rest is technique which Capa had in abundance.

Aug-31-05   Koster: fritz says black missed a much quicker win with 26...Qf6 instead of Rxd4. Black threatens to win immediately with attack on f2 and h4-h2 squares and after whites Qb8ch the black K has g7 so no e5ch for white.
Jan-25-06   chessmaster pro: Why doesn't Marshall take that bishop???
Jan-25-06   CapablancaFan: <chessmaster pro> Confused. At what point could Marshall have taken the bishop safely?
Mar-13-06
Premium Chessgames Member
  who: <azi> capablanca writes that Marshall could have done much better had he played more off-beat openings such as the vienna.
Apr-03-06   wolverine199: <Koster> and Fritz was preceded by Capablanca. On Chernev's "Capablanca's Best Endings", there is a comment on move 26:

<Although this pretty move led to a win, Capablanca commented objectively that the better move , overlooked by all the analysts, was 26 Qg7-f6, whereby the King is provided with a flight-square at g7. This would have spared him some trouble.

'I was highly praised,' says he, 'because of the excelence of my play in this position, while in reality I could have done better.'>

May-31-06   Astudent of the game: At 5. a3 seems to serve no purpose.... what am I missing? Nf3 would see a better move. It does open the bishop; however, the bishop is not used for anything in the next few moves. Would it not be wiser to defend the bishop already being used and get your knight out?
Jun-18-06   ChessDude33: <Astudent of the game> (I'm guessing you mean 5. e3) Well...there is really no difference between the two moves. After 5.Nf3 play could go 5...Ne4 6. Bxe7 Qxe7 7. e3 Nxc3 8. bxc3 Nd7 9. Bd3 and end up at the same place as in the game.

<It does open the bishop; however, the bishop is not used for anything in the next few moves. > If you wanna castle your gonna have to bring the bishop out.

<Would it not be wiser to defend the bishop> They can still play 5...Ne4 and the bishop gets traded off anyway.

Jun-25-06   babakova: <Why doesn't Marshall take that bishop???> I assume you mean on move 32 with 32.Rxe4? I was looking at the board at first and couldnt figure it out then I saw 32.Rxe4? Nf3+ and now if 33.Kf1 Nd2+ forks rook and king and wins, if instead 33.Kh1 Qa1+ mates...
Jun-25-06   CapablancaFan: <babakova> <Why doesn't Marshall take that bishop???> <I assume you mean on move 32 with 32.Rxe4? I was looking at the board at first and couldnt figure it out then I saw 32.Rxe4? Nf3+ and now if 33.Kf1 Nd2+ forks rook and king and wins, if instead 33.Kh1 Qa1+ mates...> Ahh very good Daniel son!
Aug-16-07
Premium Chessgames Member
  Karpova: <Gypsy: <I've read that White could have drawn or won with Qe8+ at some stage, but I don't see it in the game.> That is because some author introduced an error into the game record and this error was propagated from source to source. The error allowed a combination starting with Qe8. (See Chernev "Capablanca's Best Endings".)>

Edward Winter on Evans' "The 10 Most Common Chess Mistakes … and how to avoid them!":

<Then page 157 has an alleged position from the Marshall v Capablanca match of 1909 (5th game), with Evans claiming that, “incredibly”, White missed an immediate victory (mate or gain of the queen) through 45 Qe8+. Untrue, because Marshall’s queen was on b6, and not c6. This elementary matter has been pointed out countless times, and even by Evans himself on page 750 of Chess Life & Review, November 1974.’> http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/...

May-12-09   TheWizardfromHarlem: Capablanca studied..u can tell by his openings. they improved throughout the match if a line was bad or didnt lead to anything he found his mistakes and he made sure he changed it before the next game.
Jun-10-09   visayanbraindoctor: A cold-blooded tactical game by Capablanca and Marshall, this game deserves more attention.


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12. Rfe1 dxc4 allows Marshall to maneuver his Queen to the 4th rank. 13. BXc4 b6 14. Qe4.... 18...Rbc8


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Given his central and Kingside superiority Marshall embarks on a plan that looks quite reasonable, and which I believe many chessplayers would also take, to attack the Kingside beginnign with a rook lift 19. Re3.

Capablanca reacts vigorously, first trying to exchange off white's dangerous rook on the 3rd rank, 19... cxd4 20. cxd4 Rc3 21. Bb1


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Then Capa plays the cold-blooded 21... g5, inviting the subsequent knight sacrifice by Marshall 22. Nxg5. Not many chessplayers would play such a move, as it leads to hair-rising complications and hanging pieces. Capa before playing this move must have seen that the line 26. Rxd4 leads to a win.


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The reason why he played 26. Rxd4 instead of 26...Qf6

<Although this pretty move led to a win, Capablanca commented objectively that the better move , overlooked by all the analysts, was 26 Qg7-f6, whereby the King is provided with a flight-square at g7. This would have spared him some trouble.

'I was highly praised,' says he, 'because of the excellence of my play in this position, while in reality I could have done better.'>

is probably because he had already seen that this <pretty> move should win as well, even several moves back. Otherwise he probably would not have gone into the line leading into this position at all, beginning with 21...g5. For some psychological reason, once a clear way to an advantage has been calculated, most players just tend to follow their original calculated line; why waste time calculating other winning lines? If so, Capa must have preconceived the remarkable position after 28. e5+ even several moves back.


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Black's King is under discovered check, while at the same time his Bishop and Rook are hanging. Capa must have seen that the resource 28... Be4 not only blocks the discovered check, but also removes one of the hanging pieces and neutralizes white's dangerous bishop.


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Jun-10-09   visayanbraindoctor: After several more easier-to-find moves, the game settles down in this position 37. Qxe6.


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Capablanca must have seen that his advantage should be enough to win, and probably already had a plan of how to go about it even during the middle game. A classic case of Fischer's hypothesis.

<"Capablanca was among the greatest of chess players, but not because of his endgame. His trick was to keep the openings simple, and then play with such brilliance in the middle game that the game was decided - even though his opponent didn't always know it - before he arrived at the ending." - Fischer>

In the above position, many players no doubt would have gone after the White outside passed a-pawn, and thus leave their exposed King to a perpetual check, something that Marshal must have counted upon. Unfortunately for Marshall, Capablanca carries out the only plan that could even conceivably win the game. He mostly leaves the passed pawn alone and instead goes for a direct attack on the White King with his Queen and Bishop, while shuffling his own King between h5 and g6 to avoid successive checks and so gain tempo for the attack; and he places his Queen in squares where it can ward of checks by the White Queen but still be available to attack White's King.

During the final Q and B attack Capa had to foresee the following remarkable position.


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White is about to queen his passed pawn, which Capa had left alone to march up the a-file. However, now comes 52... Bxf3


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Suddenly mate is threatened, and poor Marshall remarkably has no checks. With the same two pieces that he is threatening mate with, Capa economically also defends all squares in which Marshall can check the Black King (a6, c6, e8).

A fantastic game!

Jun-10-09   visayanbraindoctor: In conclusion: I do not think that this game is as well-known as other Capablanca - Marshall games. I think it deserves more attention. It clearly shows how dangerous an attacking player Marshall was, and how good Capablanca was in complications and in steering his brilliant middlegames into endgames won as a 'matter of technique'; and how difficult such 'matter of technique' endgames could be.

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