Jose Raul Capablanca vs Emanuel Lasker (1921) "Capa Don't Preach"

Jose Raul Capablanca vs Emanuel Lasker
"Capa Don't Preach" (game of the day Jun-14-09)
Lasker-Capablanca World Championship Match (1921) · Queen's Gambit Declined: Orthodox Defense. Main Line (D63) · 1-0

[Event "Habana, WCH"]
[Site "Habana, WCH"]
[Date "1921.03.29"]
[EventDate "?"]
[Round "5"]
[Result "1-0"]
[White "Jose Raul Capablanca"]
[Black "Emanuel Lasker"]
[ECO "D63"]
[WhiteElo "?"]
[BlackElo "?"]
[PlyCount "91"]

1.d4 {Notes by J.R. Capablanca} d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.c4 e6 4.Bg5
Nbd7 5.e3 Be7 6.Nc3 O-O 7.Rc1 b6 8.cxd5 exd5 9.Qa4 c5
{Considered up to now the best answer for Black, but I believe
to have had the pleasure of finding over the board in this
game the one way to knock it out.} 10.Qc6 Rb8 11.Nxd5 Bb7
12.Nxe7+ Qxe7 13.Qa4 Rbc8 14.Qa3 {This move might be said to
be the key of White's whole plan. The main point was to be
able to play Ba6.} Qe6 15.Bxf6 {This exchange had to be made
before putting the plan into execution.} Qxf6 16.Ba6 Bxf3
{Dr. Lasker thought for over half an hour before deciding on
this continuation. It is not only the best, but it shows at
the same time the fine hand of the master. An ordinary player
would never have thought of giving up the exchange in order to
keep the initiative in this position, which was really the
only reasonable way in which he could hope to draw the game.}
17.Bxc8 Rxc8 18.gxf3 Qxf3 19.Rg1 Re8 20.Qd3 g6 21.Kf1 {The
play here was extremely difficult. I probably did not find the
best system of defense. I can not yet tell which was the best
defense here, but it is my believe that with the best play
White should win.} Re4 22.Qd1 Qh3+ 23.Rg2 Nf6 24.Kg1 cxd4
25.Rc4 {The move with which I counted upon to check Black’s
attack.} dxe3 26.Rxe4 Nxe4 27.Qd8+ Kg7 28.Qd4+ Nf6 29.fxe3 Qe6
30.Rf2 g5 31.h4 gxh4 {This was Lasker's sealed move. It was
not the best. His chance to draw was to play Kg6.Any other
continuation should lose.} 32.Qxh4 Ng4 33.Qg5+ Kf8 34.Rf5 {Not
the best. Rd2 would have won. The text move gives Black a
chance to draw the game.} h5 35.Qd8+ Kg7 36.Qg5+ Kf8 37.Qd8+
Kg7 38.Qg5+ Kf8 39.b3 Qd6 40.Qf4 Qd1+ 41.Qf1 Qd7 42.Rxh5 Nxe3
43.Qf3 Qd4 44.Qa8+ {Not the best.Kh1 offered better chances of
success.} Ke7 45.Qb7+ Kf8 {A blunder, which loses what would
otherwise have been a drawn game. It will be noticed that it
was Dr. Lasker's forty-fifth move. He had very little time to
think and, furthermore, by his own admission, he entirely
misjudged the value of the position, believing that he had
chances of winning, when, in fact, all he could hope for was a
draw.} 46.Qb8+ 1-0

To move:

Last move:

Given 41 times; par: 65 [what's this?]

Annotations by Jose Raul Capablanca. [26 more games annotated by Capablanca]

explore this opening	find similar games	23 more Capablanca/Lasker games
sac: 16.Ba6	PGN: download \| view	Help: general \| java-troubleshooting

TIP: If you do not want to read posts by a certain member, put them on your ignore list.

For help with this chess viewer, please see the Pgn4web Quickstart Guide.

< Earlier Kibitzing · PAGE 5 OF 5 · Later Kibitzing>
Jun-14-09		PhilFeeley: Another incomprehensible pun. I guess we should be glad members aren't making the legit ones.

Jun-14-09		hedgeh0g: It's a pun on the song "Papa Don't Preach", by Madonna. I guess since Capablanca ("Capa") had annotated this game, he was, in a sense, preaching. You're welcome. :)

Jun-14-09		ounos: Wow. Lasker should have claimed the draw immediately after 38. ...Kf8 ! Amazing he didn't.

Jun-14-09		ounos: Oh, I see. The final comment on the game explains it. Lasker apparently was playing to win.

Jun-14-09		AnalyzeThis: <In this game Lasker seemed to blindly follow a line known to theory which Capablanca 'knocked out' at the board.> Lasker never blindly followed anything. He was an independent thinker if ever there was one.

Jun-14-09		keypusher: Nice pun!

Jun-14-09		WhiteRook48: spectacular pun

Jun-14-09		heizfeld: Capablanca sounds a bit like a dazzler to me if he speaks about a "plan" to move the bishop to a6. How could he know all about the following 30 moves with better finish for him? And , right, at move 21 already "the game was extremely difficult" for him. Show me the fights with early "weak" a6 ruling a game ;o)

Jun-15-09		kevin86: I think that Capa does preach-at least by his vast commentary library here as elsewhere. He was a GREAT player,one of the best ever--but his diplomacy leaves a lot to be desired.

Jun-23-09		Check It Out: After playing through the game, particularly looking for Capa's "preachy" tone, I didn't notice it. He mentions bad moves on both Lasker's and his part, and seems quite level with his comments, even if he did get the remaining time available for Lasker's final move wrong.

Jun-23-09		Gypsy: <heizfeld: Capablanca sounds a bit like a dazzler to me if he speaks about a "plan" to move the bishop to a6. ... Show me the fights with early "weak" a6 ruling a game ;o)> Not quite sure what are you asking for. Here is Duras using the weak-a6/Ba6 strategy successfully three times in one tournament. Duras vs Marshall, 1912 Duras vs Z Barasz, 1912 Duras vs Z von Balla, 1912 Pillsbury used the Ba6 stratagem already in Hastings, 1895. Pillsbury vs J Mason, 1895

Jun-23-09		AnalyzeThis: Capa used it with the colors reversed to take out Bogo (see his ...Ba3): Bogoljubov vs Capablanca, 1924

Jun-23-09		Gypsy: < ounos: Wow. Lasker should have claimed the draw immediately after 38. ...Kf8 ! Amazing he didn't. > Back then repetition draws were based on 3-fold duplication of moves, not of positions. Capablanca repeated only twice. (Move is a <pair> of consecutive positions.)

Sep-10-09		Ulhumbrus: After 19 Rg1 if White's King is unable to reach safety, this may be worth much more than the exchange.

Jan-17-11		Tigranny: What's wrong with 45.Kf8?

Jan-17-11		pawn to QB4: <What's wrong with 45.Kf8?> he had to keep the queens on to have any chance. Now after 46.Qb8+ and 47.Qe5+ he's got a lost ending.

Jan-17-11		pawn to QB4: looking again, more lost than I thought. 46...Kg7 47.Qh8+ wins the queen. 46...Ke7 47.Qe5+ Qxe5 48.Rxe5+ and the knight goes as well.

Jan-18-11		Tigranny: Thanks pawn to QB4.

Jan-31-11		Llawdogg: Poor Lasker. He defended well until he blundered badly. Ouch!

Apr-21-11		Artemi: White's 14th move reminds me of the 6th game of the Fischer-Spassky World Championshio Match in 1972...

May-24-11		madlydeeply: Aha! See the move nine comment! He busted an opening at the board....which is rare for him because he usually busts opening with home prep! See?? Machine my.... (censored).

May-24-11		madlydeeply: This is a funny comment. <An ordinary player would never have thought of giving up the exchange in order to keep the initiative in this position>. I'm an ordinary player...in fact i'm "below average"... in fact i'm awful! And i find myself constantly saccing and exchange to keep initiative in order to draw! Pretty much every other blitz game i find myself in such desperate straights!

May-25-11		madlydeeply: yeah, Paul Morphy and Adolph Andersson would have NEVER thought of saccing the exchange to save a lost game! good go md! jolly good if i may say so meself

Nov-26-11		AnalyzeThis: This is really an excellent game.

Dec-19-12		Conrad93: Madly, mindless play does not account for skill. Sacrificing material can be a detriment to your game. Please get an education and troll elsewhere. A normal player would not have taken the knight, because a normal player would assume that the bishop is needed for attacking chances.

Jump to page # (enter # from 1 to 5)
< Earlier Kibitzing · PAGE 5 OF 5 · Later Kibitzing>

from the Chessgames Store

NOTE: You need to pick a username and password to post a reply. Getting your account takes less than a minute, totally anonymous, and 100% free--plus, it entitles you to features otherwise unavailable. Pick your username now and join the chessgames community!

If you already have an account, you should login now.

Please observe our posting guidelines:

No obscene, racist, sexist, or profane language.
No spamming, advertising, or duplicating posts.
No personal attacks against other users.
Nothing in violation of United States law.

See something which violates our rules? Blow the whistle and inform an administrator.

NOTE: Keep all discussion on the topic of this page. This forum is for this specific game and nothing else. If you want to discuss chess in general, or this site, you might try the Kibitzer's Café.

Messages posted by Chessgames members do not necessarily represent the views of Chessgames.com, its employees, or sponsors.

Spot an error? Please submit a correction slip and help us eliminate database mistakes!
This game is type: CLASSICAL (Disagree? Please submit a correction slip.)

Featured in the Following Game Collections [what is this?]

Annotated Capablanca with vg kibbitizing
from kugely's favorite games by kugely

Capablanca!
by chocobonbon

On the shoulders of giants
by ughaibu

My favorite games from WCC matches
by skytzo985

Lasker
from Lots of blunders by steve123456

PD
from Ivankov69's favorite games by Ivankov69

Annotated Games
by Morphischer

Selected Lasker
by LaBourdonnaisdeux

White's King's bishop wins
from ANNOTATED - QUEENS GAMBIT by wals

Art of War's favorite games 5
by Art of War

queen gambit
by rodrigochaves

My favorite game
from gulliver's favorite games by gulliver

Essential endgames
by Nodreads

annotated games & lis short brilliancys
by gmlisowitz

!!!
from capablanca best games by brager

Emanuel Lasker blunders
by azaris

Notwithstanding the Bishops of opposite colors I did not hesita
from ANNOTATED GAMES by gambitfan

Jose Raul Capablanca's Best Games
by KingG

QR vs QN
from Endgame by WhiteRook48

Match Capablanca!
by amadeus

plus 42 more collections (not shown)