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Jose Raul Capablanca vs Alexander Alekhine
Capablanca - Alekhine World Championship Match (1927), Buenos Aires ARG, rd 3, Sep-21
Indian Game: Pseudo-Queen's Indian. Marienbad System (A47)  ·  1-0

ANALYSIS [x]

FEN COPIED

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Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 3 OF 3 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Feb-28-12  fcsca: El genio de la presicion VS el genio del ataque
Feb-28-12  wordfunph: <fcsca> si, yo estoy de acuerdo.
May-03-12  Anderssen99: After: 32.Nxg7!! Alekhine's position was in its last throes.
Oct-18-12  hacked: I don't understand why Capa did not play 18.Bxd2 keeping Ale's king in the center. Ideas?
Oct-18-12
Premium Chessgames Member
  tamar: After 18 Bxd2 Rc5 allows Black to castle.

18 Bxd2 is not a bad move though. I think White would still win, but the subsequent course of the game shows Capa was thinking already of the ideal placement for the bishop and knight to dominate the rook, his main advantage in the position.

Sep-07-13
Premium Chessgames Member
  offramp: This was the last non-QGD of this match. The opening quickly leaves theory and there is a series of tactics on the Q-side between moves 9 and sixteen. At the end of these Capablanca has won Knight and Bishop for a Rook. He starts a very well-handled attack against the Black king.

So Capablanca had lost game 1 with 1.e4 and won with 1.d4. That might be why he stuck with 1.d4 for the rest of the match. Alekhine had lost with the Queen's Indian. Perhaps that's why he decided to adopt the solid QGD as black.

May-27-14  Ashperov1988: Now days they would simply say- opening preparation gone wrong. Back then, Im simply suspecting Alekhine of playing the opening too fast or without the proper considerations. But albeit and kudus to Capa for punishing the dubious set up
May-27-14  Calli: Years later, Capablanca played the same opening as Black. see Ilyin-Zhenevsky / Rabinovich vs Capablanca, 1936 . He varied with 8...Qd7
Sep-01-14  coldsweat: I liked Alexander's boldness in trying difficult unexplored positions. In this case, he didn't analyze deeply enough into them, and was beaten by a very talented player.

This game clearly shows Jose jumping at the chance to go for the jugular, with excellent combinative play. Like a shark, he's sniffing the water searching for any opportunity to go for the kill. This must be one of the characteristics that make him such an admired and beloved champion.

Nov-27-14  thegoodanarchist: Here, basically, the tactical genius AA gets his a$$ handed to him by the chess genius, JRC.
Apr-07-16
Premium Chessgames Member
  Jonathan Sarfati: <drnooo>, you are certainly right. The comprehensive Sánchez bio of Capa at the end of the chapter on this match has:

In his summary of the match, Hübner said that Capablanca was strategically superior in the understanding of new positions that emerged in the openings, such as in games 3, 7, 11, 17, 20, and 27. But “by accepting to continually reel off again and again the same variations, he deprived himself of his most important ches trump card,” which according to the German grandmaster was “his superiority over Alekhine in a better understanding of the strategic demands of the conduct of the game.” According to the analysis of Hübner, Capablanca shuold have obtained a score of three wins and three draws from game 27 through 32.

At the end of the match, Alekhine promised a rematch in preference to any other challenge, provided that it was played with the same conditions as the one that had just ended. But the new world champion knew very well how close he had been to losing. It is not unreasonable to infer that his understanding of the danger he had encountered was the reason why he did not offer the Cuban the opportunity of a rematch. All his subseqent “fury” seems rather an elaborate charade.

Capablanca never received the opportunity he gave Alekhine. It was one of the most famous contexts never played.

http://www.amazon.com/Jose-Raul-Cap...

Sep-30-16
Premium Chessgames Member
  Gypsy: <KnightVBishop: Capablanca vs Alekhine, 1927 depsite capablanca winning agianst alekhine in this game..

i dont get why at move 36 he played queen f4, why not knight d6 check and win black's queen?>

Probably because of this: <36.Nd6? Rxe4 37.Nxf7 Re6!>, and White knight seems fatally stranded


click for larger view

For instance, <38.Nd8 Rd6 39.Nf7 Rd7 ...>; or <38.f4 Kg7 39.Nd8 Rd6 40.Nb7 Rd7 ...>

Aug-23-18  WorstPlayerEver: Even better:

17. f3 Nc5 18. N1c3 a6 19. Nd4 Rc8 20. Rd1 O-O 21. Nc2 a5 22. Qb1 Qe8 23. Kf1 Ne6 24. Nxd5 Nxf4 25. gxf4 Rc5 26. Nce3 b5 27. Qd3 f6 28. Qd4 Rc6 29. Nf5 Rc2 30. Nde3 Rc7 31. Qb6 Qb8 32. Qxa5 Ra7 33. Qb4 Kh8 34. Rd2


click for larger view

Aug-23-18  sudoplatov: Two Minor Pieces dominate a Rook primarily because the side with the Rook rarely (if ever) has the opportunity for an Exchange sacrifice. Capablanca uses his advantage to attack, the general procedure in such cases.
Aug-24-18  chessrookstwo: good game capa as always was a step ahead.
Feb-28-21  derfderf: This game is fantastic! Why isn't this ever GOTD?
Mar-01-21  N0B0DY: knows it!
Mar-01-21
Premium Chessgames Member
  Honza Cervenka: 14....Bxb4? was a grave mistake, which loses the game but already 9...Qd7 looks dubious. Alekhine apparently missed or underestimated 10.Nb5 with quite unpleasant threat Nc7+ (Qd7 is pinned by white Queen), which can be covered only by 10...Nc6 but as white demonstrates quite clearly by several energetic moves, the placement of the Knight on c6 in this setup turns it into a target of white initiative. The only alternative to 14...Bxb4(?) is 14....Nxb4 but then 15.Nd6+ gives white clear advantage. That is why 9...Nbd7 was better.
Apr-25-21  Gaito:


click for larger view

WHITE TO MOVE

In this position Black was threatening ...Rc4, therefore White played the logical developing move 17.Nd2 (±), a good move that suffices to maintain the initiative. However, Stockfish 13 suggests that he play instead 17.f3! (+ −), a stronger move that would have allowed White to win in short order, according to the engine.

Two sample variations after: 17.f3!

I. 17... Nc5 18.N1c3 a6 (or else 18...d4 19.Rd1 d3 20.exd3 O-O 21.d4+ −) 19.Nd4 Rg6 (if 19...Rc8 20.Qxb6+ −) 20.a4! (20.Rd1 also wins quickly) O-O 21.a5 and Black is busted (Computer evaluation by LcZero: +10.78).

II. 17...Rc4?! 18.Qb2 Nf6 19.Nd6+ Kf8 20.Nxc4 dxc4 21.Nc3 (+ −) with an extra piece to boot and a winning position.

Apr-25-21  Gaito:


click for larger view

WHITE TO MOVE

32.Nxg7!

After securing some extra material and also an overwhelming positional advantage, Capablanca finishes off the game with "une petite combinaison" (a little combination), as was very usual in his best games. Black is lost no matter how he plays. Alekhine played 32...Qg6 and lost quickly, but let us see what would have happened had he captured the proffered knight:

I. 32...Rxg7 33.Qxf6 Qe4+ (or else 33...Qh7 34.Qf8+ Qg8 35.Bxg7+ Kh7 36.Bxh6 and wins outright) 34.Kg1 (better than 34.f3, as suggested by Swedish GM Gideon Ståhlberg in his book "Capablanca's Classical Games" published in Buenos Aires, 1943 in Spanish language) 34...Qb7 (if 34...Qb1+ 35.Kh2 Qh7 36.Qf8+ Qg8 37.Bxg7+ and 38.Bxh6 as in the above variation) 35.Qxh6+ Kg8 36.Qxg7+, and the ensuing pawn ending would be a piece of cake.

II. 32...Kxg7 33.Qxf6+ Kh7 34.Qf7+ Rg7 35.Qxg7 mate.

Apr-25-21  Gaito:


click for larger view

WHITE TO MOVE

Capablanca played 33.h5, a good move that was suffcient to secure a rapid victory, as the game continuation showed. Nevertheless, an alternative that also deserved attention was 33.Ne6, for example: 33...Qe8 (best) 34.Bxf6+ Kh7 35.Qc2+ Qg6 36.Qc7+ and Black could resign (diagram below):


click for larger view

Aug-21-21  yurikvelo: multiPV of this ping-pong chess round

https://pastebin.com/FQwRDLWg

Feb-24-22  N.O.F. NAJDORF: <GrahamClayton: Capa could have forced mate in 4 with 41. Qf7+ Kh8 42. Nf5 Qg8 43. Qf6+ Kh7 44. Qh6# Source: CN 1449 Edward Winter, "Chess Explorations", Cadogan 1996>

That line mates in nine moves:

41. Qf7+ Kh8 42. Nf5 Qxe4+ 43. Kh2 Qe5 44. Ne7 etc.

The correct way to force mate in four moves is:

41. Qf7+ Kh8 42. Qf6+ Kg8 43. Qg6+ Kf8 44. Qf7#

41. Qf7+ Kh8 42. Qf6+ Kg8 43. Qg6+ Kh8 44. Nf7#

41. Qf7+ Kh8 42. Qf6+ Kh7 43. Qg6+ Kh8 44. Nf7#

Feb-24-22  N.O.F. NAJDORF: Capablanca could have played Nxg7 one move earlier:

31. Nxg7 Kxg7 32. Qxf6+ Kh7 33. Qf5+ Rg6 34. Qd7+ Kg8 35. Qe8+ Kh7 36. Qh8#

31. Nxg7 Rxg7 32. Qxf6 Qd5+ 33. Kg1 Qg8 34. Qxh6+ Qh7 35. Bxg7+

May-08-22
Premium Chessgames Member
  plang: 7..g6 had been played in Colle-Grunfeld Kecskemet 1927 and had resulted in a short draw; 7..d5!? was new. 13..Ne4 was suggested as an alternative; Golembek offered a pretty variation: 13..Ne4 14 b4..Bd6 15 Bxd6..Nxd6 16 N1c3..0-0 17 Nxd5..Nd4 18 Nxe6 and if 18..Qxa4 then 19 Ne7+..Kh8 20 Nxf7+ and mates. 14..Nxb4 would have given up the exchange for a pawn giving Black better practical chances to hold. White's 23 Qxd5 required confidence in his prospective kingside attack as Black obtained connected passed pawns on the queenside. 25 Rd4! intending Rc4 and Rc7 would have been even more powerful than the game continuation.
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