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Jose Raul Capablanca vs Herman Steiner
??? 1933  ·  Four Knights Game: Spanish. Symmetrical Variation (C49)  ·  1-0


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Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 4 OF 4 ·  Later Kibitzing >
Jan-10-06   TopaLove: <Granite> such a geek
Jan-10-06   yoshi927: <patzer2> I wish I was half as good as the worst of the "riff-raff". One does not become a GM by being riff-raff.
Jan-10-06   yoshi927: <TopaLove> Some people might call you a geek for liking chess. If so all of us here are geeks, I suppose. And therefore: Look who's talking!
Jan-10-06   TopaLove: <yoshi927> Unfortunately, I cant say here what came to my mind when I read your ridiculous argument.
Jan-10-06   chesscrazy: Anybody know where I can download a Fritz or any other program of the internet? (With analyzing and all that stuff) BTW, nice puzzle. Interesting mate.
Jan-10-06   yoshi927: <TopaLove> Care to tell me why it's ridiculous?
Jan-10-06
Premium Chessgames Member
  Boomie: The innocuous looking 10...Be6 is the losing move. Black is in good shape after 10...d5.
Jan-10-06
Premium Chessgames Member
  weisyschwarz: I saw 23.Qe7+, Kb5 24.Qb4+, Ka6, but then saw that was going nowhere.
Jan-10-06   Prelude: It took me about 10 mins to find the winning move. Like YouRang I was convinced 24. Qe7+ was the correct move. Finally I found 24. Rxc6+. However, unlike Capa I was touching pieces and moving things all around the board before I found it - hehe
Jan-10-06
Premium Chessgames Member
  patzer2: Here's some analysis with Fritz 8 and the ChessGames.com Opening Explorer:

<1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Bb4 5. O-O O-O 6. d3 d6 7. Bg5 Bxc3 8. bxc3 Ne7> More popular here is 8...Qe7 as in B Kreiman vs Christiansen, 2002 or Jonkman vs I Sokolov, 2002 or Svidler vs Karpov, 2003 or P MacIntyre vs D Howell, 2005. <9. Nh4 c6 10. Bc4> A good alternative is 10. Ba4 Ne8 11. Bb3 as in Marshall vs Capablanca, 1909 or Nunn vs S Tatai, 1992. <10... Be6 ?> This concedes White a clear advantage. Better is 10... d5 as in E Post vs Breyer, 1914. Fritz 8 gives 10...d5 11. Bxf6 (11. Bb3 Qd6 =(11... dxe4 12. dxe4 =) 11... gxf6 12. exd5 cxd5 13. Bb3 Ng6 =. <11. Bxf6! gxf6 12. Bxe6 fxe6 13. Qg4+ Kf7 14. f4! Rg8?> This move looks logical, but it loses by force. A better try is 14... exf4 15. Qxf4 Ng6 16. Qh6 Rh8 17. d4 Qe7 18. Nf3 . <15. Qh5+!> This initiates the winning combination. <15...Kg7> If 15... Kf8, then White wins after 16. fxe5 f5 17. exf5 Nxf5 18. Nxf5 exf5 19. Rxf5+ Ke7 20. Qf7# If 15... Ng6, then 16. f5 exf5 17. exf5 wins. <16. fxe5 dxe5 17. Rxf6!!> This demolition of pawn structure combination begins a decisive pursuit combination, finishing with today's daily puzzle (24. ?) offering. <17...Kxf6 18. Rf1+ Nf5 19. Nxf5 exf5 20. Rxf5+ Ke7 21. Qf7+ Kd6 22. Rf6+ Kc5> If 22... Qxf6, White wins easily after 23. Qxf6+ Kd7 24. Qf7+ Kd6 25. Qxb7 <23. Qxb7 Qb6 24. Rxc6+! Qxc6> Black can force an ending with two Rooks against a Queen after 24... Kb5+ 25. Rxb6+ axb6 26. Qxh7 , but White's pawn majority wins easily. <25. Qb4# 1-0>

Jan-10-06
Premium Chessgames Member
  patzer2: <Yoshi927> <I wish I was half as good as the worst of the "riff-raff". One does not become a GM by being riff-raff.> Well said! I agree!
Jan-10-06   Laskerfan82: I read in a Tartakower book that this was an exhibition game played on an outdoor board with huge, lifesize pieces.
Jan-10-06
Premium Chessgames Member
  BishopofBlunder: <patzer2> Thanks for the analysis. I was wondering how the game would go if black did not capture the white rook and instead played 24...Kb5. I figured the overwhelming pawn majority would be enough, but I didn't like the looks of a Q vs 2R ending. Of course, if I had Capablanca's endgame skills, I probably wouldn't be so worried.
Jan-10-06   silvio: If black wants to prolong the agony
Patzer 2 has indicated the only way
24...Kb5 but even Steiner is completely lost after the capture of the black queen so.... a brilliant ending vintage Capa
Jan-11-06   sheaf: <chessgames.com> this is too famous to be a puzzle
May-11-06   shy16889: CAPABLANCA IS REALLY GOOd

Nov-14-06
Premium Chessgames Member
  Phony Benoni: In Chess Notes no. 4151, Edward Winter quotes a letter from Herman Steiner published in Chess Review, March 1943:

<‘In The Immortal Games of Capablanca, page 203, the introduction to Exhibition Game No. 93 states that this game “played with ‘living pieces’ turns out to be vastly entertaining and must have delighted the spectators”. This gives the impression that the game was played on its merits, when in reality it was pre-arranged by Capablanca, who at that time refused to play any other way. Naturally, I would like this known as it could not possibly be considered an Immortal Game.

Had Mr Reinfeld consulted me before going to press I would gladly have given him all the facts with proof thereof.’>

The site, by the way, is definitely given in the note as the Los Angeles Athletic Club. And pre-arranged or not, it's a beautiful game.

Jun-18-07
Premium Chessgames Member
  Karpova: A picture:
http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/...
Aug-10-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  ToTheDeath: It's a faaaaaaaaaaake!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qKc...

Aug-28-08   GrahamClayton: Calli,

Steiner admitted that the game was pre-arranged in the March 1943 issue of "Chess Review", ie

"in reality it was pre-arranged by Capablanca, who at that time refused to play any other way. Naturally, I would like this known as it could not possibly be considered an Immortal Game".

Aug-28-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  Calli: <GrahamClayton> See <Phony Benoni>'s post a few before yours (Nov-14-06). I already knew.
Sep-02-08   GrahamClayton: Source: CN 2037 Edward Winter, "Kings, Commoners and Knaves", Russell Enterprises, 1999
Sep-02-08   maxi: I always have been bothered by Steiner's statement. Chessgames gives Capa 4 wins and a draw against Steiner. A fixing of this game seems to be completely uncharacteristic of what I know about Capa. I wonder if Steiner lied.
Feb-19-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  chancho: Very convenient of Steiner to say the game was pre-arranged 10 years after the fact, and a year after the great Cuban's death.
Mar-25-09   WhiteRook48: Capablanca cheating?! Impossible!
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