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 Lasker/Capablanca games
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< Earlier Kibitzing · PAGE 4 OF 5 · Later Kibitzing>
Mar-02-08		Knight13: 9....c5 considered the best at that time? It drops a pawn after Qc6 though. What, you can't say people until then didn't see ...Qc6 until Capablanca threw it in.

Oct-17-08		Honza Cervenka: <In this game Lasker seemed to blindly follow a line known to theory which Capablanca 'knocked out' at the board.> Quite interesting thing is that 9...c5 was played several times after this game and despite of Capa's notion that he has busted this continuation in this game I would say that the line is perfectly playable for black. For example see Levitina vs Chiburdanidze, 1984 Black has a lot of counterplay for Pawn and white King in the centre can be a source of big troubles for White. Lasker got equality at least in this game and his play was not perfect. For example, instead of 15...Qxf6 much stronger seems to be 15...Bxf3!? 16.Bxg7 (16.Bg5 cxd4! 17.Rxc8 Rxc8 18.gxf3 Qd5! ; 16.Bh4 cxd4! 17.Rxc8 Rxc8 18.gxf3 Ne5! ) 16...cxd4 17.Ra1!? Kxg7 18.gxf3 Ne5 19.Be2 Rfe8 with initiative of black.

Feb-13-09		WhiteRook48: blunder game!!

Mar-18-09		WhiteRook48: after 38...Kf8 isn't it perpetual?

Jun-14-09		Smothered Mate: I don't get the pun.

Jun-14-09		waustad: They are replacing papa with Capa. It is a reference to a pop song.

Jun-14-09		WannaBe: <Smothered Mate: I don't get the pun.> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5nE... In the video, you can still see the twin towers in the background...

Jun-14-09		hitman84: Thank you for the premium membership <Chessgames> Nice game. Dry notes.

Jun-14-09		Once: <WannaBe> Great link - thanks. Some random thoughts and memories: I had forgotten what a surprisingly good song it was. How fit Madonna looked when she was younger and primrily a dancer who could also sing a bit (Guy Ritchie recently called her "a gristly grandma" which gave me a laugh). That the person writing the lyrics on screen couldn't spell... And congrats to <hitman84> for a good pun. As much as I like Capa, I can't help squirming at the tone he takes in his notes. <Smothered Mate> I don't get the american puns (Shamwow?). Maybe this one is before your time? As to the game, it's not one of my favourites. One to respect rather than rave about, methinks.

Jun-14-09		natrix75: where do you vote/make these puns?

Jun-14-09		Roemer: <offramp> Remember that Capablanca had all kinds of reasons and motives NOT to have Lasker look like a patzer.

Jun-14-09		ChessValley: I am interested to learn what happens after 23 .... Rg4. Is 24 dxc5 leading to a win for white or black?

Jun-14-09		ChessValley: Just realized the errors of my way of thinking: 24 Qxg4.

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

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