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Alexander Alekhine vs Jose Raul Capablanca
Capablanca - Alekhine World Championship Match (1927), Buenos Aires ARG, rd 22, Oct-28
Queen's Gambit Declined: Orthodox Defense. Alekhine Variation (D67)  ·  1/2-1/2

ANALYSIS [x]

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Kibitzer's Corner
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Nov-18-13
Premium Chessgames Member
  offramp: 32.Bb3xe6


click for larger view

That must have shocked Capablanca.

Dec-02-13  Owl: If Alekhine would of played 42.Ne2 he would won two games in row again like he won game 11 and 12
Dec-31-13
Premium Chessgames Member
  offramp: After 44...Kd7


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It is hard to say if Alekhine saw the idea of 45...Nxf4 46.Kxf4 Ne6+ 47.Ke3 f4+ 48.Ke4 fxg3 or not. Playing Ne2 at some earlier point would have defused the idea entirely. It is too late to play that now owing to ...Rh8.

7000.

Dec-31-13
Premium Chessgames Member
  offramp: Happy New Year to all at <chessgames>.
Sep-29-14
Premium Chessgames Member
  Richard Taylor: I played this game over today without (many) notes (from a facsimile of an old book of the tournament) and it seems to me one of the greatest games, by both players. Capablanca's defence was superb while Alekhine played great strategy and an interesting positional sacrifice.
Apr-10-18  Howard: The "win" after 42.Ne2 doesn't look very clear. Anyone have a more concrete idea as to why it should win.
Apr-10-18
Premium Chessgames Member
  OhioChessFan: <AnalyzeThis: He then got permission to analyze for a while with his clock running, then showed up, and held the position without any problems.>

Oh, please. Capa "got permission" to violate the rules of chess by moving around pieces on a different board in the middle of a game in the WCC match? I don't care what citation anyone may turn up, this didn't happen.

Apr-10-18  Howard: You're apparently overlooking two (legal) possibilities regarding that Capa story.

First, he may have analyzed the position in his head while away from the board.

Second, he may have analyzed using the demonstration board that the audience would have been viewing. That, distinct, latter possibility reminds me of a story from the Korchnoi-Spassky 1977 candidates final match.

Apr-10-18
Premium Chessgames Member
  OhioChessFan: 42. Ra7 has the idea of simply gaining a Pawn while clearing the h file for the eventual progress of the passer there. The h Pawn was eventually easily captured by Black, and the a Pawn didn't enter into any of the tactical motifs, so perhaps Ra7 wasn't best. 2 moves to essentially trade Rook Pawns is a pretty expensive cost in time. OTOH, it does stop in its tracks any ideas of the Black Rook penetrating down the b file and causing problems for the isolated h3 Pawn.

I have played through the game some after the idea of 42. Re2, and there's no doubt the Knight will head to c3. What advantage does that accrue? As an example, I quickly played this out, no claims that it's best, but just to get a feel for the position:

42. Ne3 Re8 43. Nc3 Re7 44. Rh8+ Re8 45. Rh6 Kd7


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Where surely 46. Nd5 is called for. Black's King has to make a big decision as to which side of the board he'll operate on, and White certainly has the initiative. I'll note that 45...Re7 is another possibility that forestalls this line. Anyway, winning? Well, maybe for Alekhine against almost anyone other than Capa.

Apr-10-18
Premium Chessgames Member
  OhioChessFan: <Howard: First, he may have analyzed the position in his head while away from the board.>

So he needed permission to do that? Scratch that one.

<Second, he may have analyzed using the demonstration board that the audience would have been viewing. That, distinct, latter possibility reminds me of a story from the Korchnoi-Spassky 1977 candidates final match.>

Again, a violation of the rules of chess, no matter what board was used. Capa doesn't seem to be the kind of player to do that, nor AA the kind of player to allow it.

Apr-10-18
Premium Chessgames Member
  OhioChessFan: I meant <42. Ne2> in my line above, of course.
Apr-10-18  WorstPlayerEver: Übermütig simply means overconfident.
Apr-10-18  WorstPlayerEver: 33... Rcd8 34. Nxa8 Rd3+ 35. Kf2 Rxa8 36. Rxc5 Nxc5 37. Rxc5 Rb8 38. Rc6+ Kd7 39. Rc2 Ke6 1/2-1/2
Apr-10-18  Howard: Ohio Chess Fan, you've apparently misinterpreted my point. Capa didn't need permission for either of those "analytical" methods.

By the way, how does the second option violate the rules of chess?

Apr-10-18  GerMalaz: I think Capa showed up and analyzed on a side board, after the game restarted, so his clock was running, but before he sat down at the match table.

Those days, you had an hour to show up.

May-26-18  Howard: Some of us are still waiting for concrete proof that 42.Ne2 would have "won". Kasparov, as I recall, doesn't give much in the way of detail.
Sep-23-18  Howard: Looks like the now-provided computer analysis has pretty much given the "concrete proof" that 42.Ne2 would have apparently won.

Thanks very much to whoever posted it!

Apr-26-19  condor: I thought i knew chess, but now I i'm not sure. Capablanca seems to have an easily defendable position but Alekhine gets away with a draw? How
Jul-30-19  edubueno: 42 Ce2!-g3!;
43 Cxg3 Rg8 44.Nxf5 Rxg2 45.Nd4 Rg3+ 46.Nf3 Ng7 47.f5 Nxf5+ 48.Kf4 Nd3+ 49.Kxf5 Rxf3+ 50.Ke4 Rh3 51.h5 Nc5+ 52.Kd5 Nd7 53.Rh8+ Ke7 54.Rh7+ Ke8 55.Rh8+ Ke7 = 43 Ta7 Cc7
Apr-16-20  pepechuy: Did Capablanca really play 57... Nd8?
(I do not mean it is bad move, I am asking a question) In the Encyclopedia of Chess Endings, volume 3, it says he played 57... Nf8! (the exclamation point comes from that book).
Apr-16-20  HaydenB: My Fritz database gives the move as
52. ...Nf8
Aug-21-23  ariel el luchador: El profesor corte nos cont� que cuando se reanud� la partida capablanca pidi� que se ponga su reloj en marcha y fue a analizar la partida con un grupo de amigos le comentaron que alekine hab�a analizado todo y que las blancas estaban ganadas capablanca dijo tal vez este ganado pero esta jugada no la analiz� mostr� la jugada sobre el tablero y luego la jugo en la partida era la jugada de la suspendida capablanca amaba el ajedrez pero m�s amaba la vida
Aug-21-23  ariel el luchador: Analizaron la partida en un cuarto continuo del club argentino donde se jug� el encuentro
Feb-05-24
Premium Chessgames Member
  plang: In game 18 Alekhine had tried 15 Ke2 and in game 20 he had played 15 Bd3 both without success; here he tried 15 Rhd1. The position after 18 Ke3 was also reached in games 24, 28 and 30 which also resulted in draws. Alekhine's 32 Bxe6!? must have surprised Capablanca. Perhaps Capablanca was expecting 36 Rxc3..Rxa8 37 Ne2..Rb8 38 Nd4+..Kd5 39 b3 with an unclear position; instead after Alekhine's clever 36 bxc! White's control of the d-file gave him a promising initiative. 42..Nxf4?! 43 Kxf4..Ne6+ 44 Ke3..f4+ 45 Ke4..fxg 46 Ra8+ would have benefited White. 56..Rxc6+ 57 Rxc6..Kxc6 58 Ke4 would have been hopeless for Black.

Both players deserve credit for this fascinating ending; Alekhine for creating serious winning chances and Capablanca for his dogged defense.

Feb-03-25  Mathematicar: Anyone finds going through Alekhine's notes on his own greatest games exhausting, but rewarding?

I have a feeling that maybe in his notes he put a too little emphasis on the possibilities and perspective of his opponent. Yet, in some strange way, his incomprehensible moves were illuminated, and quite clearly so, only when he explained them.

An idea of giving away the Bishop for d-file and active pawn play was quite something, but maybe not winning after all. Capa defended almost perfectly.

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