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Jose Raul Capablanca vs Alexander Alekhine
Capablanca - Alekhine World Championship Match (1927), Buenos Aires ARG, rd 5, Sep-27
Queen's Gambit Declined: Modern. Knight Defense (D51)  ·  1/2-1/2

ANALYSIS [x]

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Kibitzer's Corner
Dec-19-05
Premium Chessgames Member
  offramp: Alekhine does very well here. The position after 17.Rd3


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is quite difficult. It was because Alekhine was able to draw these tough games that he won the title.

Dec-26-07  whiteshark: <offramp <It was because Alekhine was able to draw these tough games that he won the title.>>

In fact it is also true that Capablanca lost his title because he wasn't able to win these games. :D

Dec-26-07  whiteshark: In his annotations Aljechin critisized his 15...Be6 as skin-deep and misplaced. Better was <15...Bf5>, e.g. <16.Qb3 Qe7 17.e4!? Bg6>:


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Playing the d-file and the weakness of the black squares should compensate the recent offside of Bg6.

Mar-03-08  Knight13: <Alekhine does very well here. The position after 17.Rd3 is quite difficult.> Alekhine had a second opening. And me too. White breathed fire down the d-file, but there wasn't much he could do.
Apr-26-08  capin: Alekhine has escaped to me of an inferior position. In moved the 29 I had before my eyes two procedures. The first, very simple one, sight and approved by all, but mistaken, which I also chose. The second option, with a calmer game 29. Ke2 would have assured me an evidently superior game and the best probabilities (Capablanca).
Feb-18-12
Premium Chessgames Member
  offramp: <capin: Alekhine has escaped to me of an inferior position. In moved the 29 I had before my eyes two procedures. The first, very simple one, sight and approved by all, but mistaken, which I also chose. The second option, with a calmer game 29. Ke2 would have assured me an evidently superior game and the best probabilities (Capablanca).>

He has a unique way with words!

Feb-18-12
Premium Chessgames Member
  Penguincw: Drawn 57.4% of the time.
Feb-23-12  The Curious Emblem: 12. e5! frees Black; well-played. Alekhine must've realized this potential and played 11. Ne4 in a near-identical position next game to prevent the freeing move from manefisting.
May-28-14  Ashperov1988: Cspa is right. he could improve the position of the king more, whilst the rook on the 7th ties the black king down a little, and when the time is right then go c4 or something else like e4 f4(3)giving the king breathing space to press more. But hasty Capa and Alekhine equalised.
Jan-12-19
Premium Chessgames Member
  woldsmandriffield: The ending arising after 26 bxc3 is analysed by Levenfish and Smyslov in their book Rook Endings. They point out that Alekhine had to decide whether to defend the 4 vs 3 R&P ending which he could have done eg by playing 28..b4. Instead he went for 28..a4 and now L&S criticise Capa's 29 c4 as premature. Their reasons are instructive: White should 'widen the bridgehead' by continuing Ke2, 34, f4 then tying Black down to the defense of c6 and f7.

However, things work out better than expected for Capablanca: by move 34 Alekhine has weaknesses on a4 and c6. For this reason, 31..bxc4 was a mistake of the same magnitude as 29 c4: instead, Alekhine might have played 31..Rb8 32 axb5 cxb5 as he then has only one weakness on b5 and Balck has good prospects of getting rid of it by ..b4. L&S consider a different alternative to 31..bxc4, the move 31..Kd6 which they don't like because of 32 Kd3 Kc5 33 cxb5 Kb6?! 34 Ra6+ (given ! but 34 Rxa4 followed by Rf4 is simpler and strong) Kxb5 35 Ra7, but just 33..cxb5 looks fine as Black has counterplay after 34 Ra7 f5 35 Rxh7 b4

Jan-12-19
Premium Chessgames Member
  woldsmandriffield: Having been given a second half-chance to squeeze Alekhine, Capablanca then repeats the same minor error. He brought his King up with 35 Kd3 and when his Rook was hit with ..c5 he transferred it to Rh4 and Alekhine embarrassed it with ..h5 forcing g4 and an exchange of pawns leaving White with a weak Ph3. Instead, Capablanca might have secured the K-side with 35 g4 and now since there are downsides to both ..f5 and ..h5, so all Black can do is wait with (say) 35..Ra7 and the White King can advance.
Jan-12-19
Premium Chessgames Member
  woldsmandriffield: Lastly, going back to L&S, they note that the pawn grab 37 Kc4 Kd6 38 Kb5 is bad but miss 38..Kd5! winning, giving 38..Rb8+ 39 Kxa4? (39 Kc4!=) 39..Rb2? (39..Kd5 still wins) 40 Rf4 f =
May-13-22
Premium Chessgames Member
  plang: 6 a3 avoids the Cambridge Springs but seems a bit slow. 8..c5 had been played in Marshall-Salwe Carlsbad 1911 (White won); 8..dxc was new. Not 19..Rfd8? 20 Qxb7!.

Smyslov & Levenfish:
"Alekhine made a mistake in the opening, allowed Capablanca to seize the only open file, after which the White rook penetrated to the 7th rank behind the Black pawns. In the absence of other free files and, consequently, of bases for counterplay, such a penetration by the rook confers a serious, and sometimes even decisive, advantage."

Jun-11-23
Premium Chessgames Member
  Messiah: Very dull game.

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