Capablanca Wins Greatest Chess Endgame? - Best of the 20s - Capablanca vs. Tartakower
Name a more iconic endgame player than third world chess champion, Jose Capablanca. I'll wait.
Now name a more iconic endgame than Capablanca vs. Tartakower, 1924. Capablanca's fluid, natural, and instructive play in this game shows him at the height of his powers. Interestingly, Capablanca did not win this tournament. The great Emanuel Lasker did, while Capablanca finished second to the great and resurgent Lasker. Also, this endgame did not earn one of the three brilliancy prizes - a travesty. History has clearly shown this endgame as one of Capablanca's greatest achievements and as one of the most instructive and inspiring endgames ever played.
Top 10 Games of the 1920s
- #1: ????
- #2: ????
- #3: Capablanca vs. Tartakower, 1924
- #4: Najdorf vs. Gliksberg, 1929
- #5: Nimzowitsch vs. Rubinstein, 1926
- #6: Imbaud vs. Strumilo, 1922
- #7: Reti vs. Lasker, 1924
- #8: Denker vs. Feit, 1929
- #9: Reti vs. Euwe, 1920
- #10: Torre vs. Banks, 1924
- See also: Top 10 of the 1930s, Top 10 of the 1940s, Top 10 of the 1950s, Top 10 of the 1960s, Top 10 of the 1970s, Top 10 of the 1980s, Top 10 of the 1990s, Top 10 of the 2000s, and Top 10 of the 2010s
The game's opening is perhaps not auspicious. Tartakower defends with the Dutch Defense, and Capablanca rejects the more aggressive options available to White to meet the Dutch. His calm, positional approach doesn't immediately yield anything and Tartakower eventually gets a good and even a superior game. Just as Tartakower could have claimed a good position, he slips, allowing Capablanca to reposition with 18.Re1! and 19.e4! After this, Tartakower needs to bail out to the endgame, but it's a difficult one. Capablanca siezes first the h-file (29.Rh1), then the seventh rank (30.Rh7), then he creates a passed pawn (34.Bxf5), and finally he activates his king (35.Kg3!!). To do this, he sacrifices his queenside and many pawns, but the assets he gains far outweigh the dead wood. The finale is an exercise in domination and rapid pawn consumption.
My annotations are below. Enjoy the game!
If you like the content and want to support it, subscribe and follow on YouTube and Twitch!
I'm the VP of Chess and Community for Chess.com. I earned the National Master title in 2012, and in 2014, I returned to my home state of South Carolina to start Strategery: Chess and Games. In late 2014, I began working for Chess.com and haven't looked back since.
You can find my personal content on Twitch , Twitter , and YouTube where I further indulge my love of chess.
