Emanuel Lasker vs José Raúl Capablanca
This was just a fun game that I found whilst researching and checking out the games of José Raúl Capablanca. The game was played at the Lasker - Capablanca World Championship Match in Havana, Cuba on April 8, 1921. The sixty-eight move game with the Queen's Gambit Declined: Orthodox Defense. Rubinstein Variation (D61) opening resulted in Lasker resigning and Capablanca winning. Additionally, this game is also annotated by Capablanca himself.
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[Event "Lasker - Capablanca World Championship Match"]
[Site "Havana CUB"]
[Date "1921.04.08"]
[EventDate "?"]
[Round "10"]
[Result "0-1"]
[White "Emanuel Lasker"]
[Black "Jose Raul Capablanca"]
[ECO "D61"]
[WhiteElo "?"]
[BlackElo "?"]
[PlyCount "136"]
1.d4 {Notes by J. R. Capablanca} d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5
Be7 5.e3 O-O 6.Nf3 Nbd7 7.Qc2 c5 8.Rd1 Qa5 9.Bd3 h6 10.Bh4
cxd4 11.exd4 dxc4 12.Bxc4 Nb6 13.Bb3 Bd7 14.O-O {The
development is now complete. White has a lone d Pawn, but, on
the otherhand, Black is somewhat hampered in the manoeuvering
of his pieces.} Rac8 15.Ne5 Bb5 {With this move and the
following, Black brings about an exchange of pieces, which
leaves him with a free game.} 16.Rfe1 Nbd5 17.Bxd5 Nxd5
18.Bxe7 Nxe7 19.Qb3 Bc6 {Not Ba6 because of Nd7, followed by
Nc5.} 20.Nxc6 bxc6 21.Re5 Qb6 22.Qc2 Rfd8 23.Ne2 {Probably
White's first mistake. He wants to take a good defensive
position, but he should instead have counter-attacked with Na4
and Rc5.} Rd5 24.Rxd5 cxd5 {Black has now the open file and
his left side Pawn position is very solid, while White has a
weak d-Pawn. The apparently weak Black a Pawn is not actually
weak because White has no way to attack it.} 25.Qd2 Nf5 26.b3
{In order to free the Queen from the defense of the b-Pawn and
also to prevent Rc4 at any stage.} h5 { In order to prevent g4
at a later stage. Also to make a demonstration on the king’s
side, prepatory to further operations on the other side.}
27.h3 {Weak, but White wants to be ready to play g4.} h4 {To
tie up White's King side. Later on it will be seen that White
is compelled to play g4 and thus further weaken his game.}
28.Qd3 Rc6 29.Kf1 g6 30.Qb1 Qb4 31.Kg1 {This was White's
sealed move. It was not the best move, but it is doubtful if
White has any good system of defense.} a5 32.Qb2 a4 {Now Black
exchanges the pawn and leaves White with a weak, isolated
b-Pawn, which will fall sooner or later.} 33.Qd2 Qxd2 34.Rxd2
axb3 35.axb3 Rb6 {In order to force Rd3 and thus prevent the
White rook from supporting his b-Pawn by Rb2 later on. It
means practically tying up the White rook to the defense of
his two weak pawns. } 36.Rd3 Ra6 37.g4 hxg3 38.fxg3 Ra2 39.Nc3
Rc2 40.Nd1 {The alternative Na4, was not any better. White’s
game is doomed. } Ne7 41.Ne3 Rc1+ 42.Kf2 Nc6 43.Nd1 Rb1 {Not
Nb4 because of 44. Rd2 Rb1 45. Nb2 Rxb2 46.Rxb2 Nd3+ 47.Ke2
Nxb2 48.Kd2, and Black could not win. } 44.Ke2 {Not a mistake,
but played deliberately. White had no way to protect his
b-Pawn.} Rxb3 45.Ke3 Rb4 46.Nc3 Ne7 47.Ne2 Nf5+ 48.Kf2 g5
49.g4 Nd6 50.Ng1 Ne4+ 51.Kf1 Rb1+ 52.Kg2 Rb2+ 53.Kf1 Rf2+
54.Ke1 Ra2 {All these moves have a meaning. The student should
carefully study them.} 55.Kf1 Kg7 56.Re3 Kg6 57.Rd3 f6 58.Re3
Kf7 59.Rd3 Ke7 60.Re3 Kd6 61.Rd3 Rf2+ 62.Ke1 Rg2 63.Kf1 Ra2
64.Re3 e5 {This was my sealed move and unquestionably the best
way to win.} 65.Rd3 {If 65.Ne2 Nd2+ 66.Kf2 e4 67.Rc3 Nf3
68.Ke3 Ne1 69.Kf2 Ng2. and White would be helpless. If 65.Nf3
Nd2+ exchanging knights wins.} exd4 66.Rxd4 Kc5 67.Rd1 d4
68.Rc1+ Kd5 {There is nothing left. The Black pawn will
advance and White will have to give up his Knight for it. This
is the finest win of the match and probably took away from
Dr. Lasker his last real hope of winning or drawing the
match.} 0-1
