Capablanca's Europe tour during 1913 - 1914

Already since July of 1913 articles appeared in the American press, informing that Jose Raoul Capablanca was employed by the Foreign Office of Cuba, so the Cuban Consulate at St. Petersburg to be staffed. A consulate that, as it was written, was newly founded. His new duties were described as attached with his chess skill and possible future chess matches, possibly taking in account an upcoming great tournament at St. Petersburg. Probably he was chosen to be used as some kind of a Goodwill Ambassador of Cuba in Europe [check American Chess Bulletin, 1913, 250, Evening star of Jul 13, 1913, New-York tribune of Jul 04, 1913, The San Francisco call of Jul 20, 1913].

On Oct 2, he left New York on the steamship Kaiserin Auguste Victoria for Europe. First big stop was at London...

Great Britain

Capablanca was in great shape, coming from Rice Masters chess tournament of Jul 1913 in NY where he achieved a perfect 13/13 and after three consecutive clock simuls against Juan Corzo, Rafael Blanco Estera & Rene Portela [of the best players in Cuba at the time] played in Sep in Havana that Jose won them all.

On Oct 13 and in the rooms of the City of London Chess Club [a club that he had visited again two years earlier and that would have a leading chess role in England during the following years of WWI - check this previous blog], Capablanca gave a great simultaneous exhibition for 28 boards in the presence of Emanuel Lasker. He achieved +18 =3 -7 in about 4,5 hours, but with a strong opposition. And it was underlined his fascinating style, sacrificing pieces and queens [participants: Cole, Wainwright, Loman, Walker, P. W Sergeant, Smart & Atkins, won, Alexander, Taylor & Michell, drew, Muller, Dunkelsbuhler, Williams, Wood, Hamilton, Pomerantz, Braun, Privonitz, Scamp, James, Saunders, Davidson, Miller, White, Brooks, Hargreaves, Rev. Craig & Pr. Doici, lost].

A few days later, on Oct 17, at the Divan cafe, London, he played simultaneously 7 games winning them all. Among the players was Edward Lasker, maybe of the most significant wins in simuls [rest were Roberts, Gibbs, Sciortino, Smith, Coombes & Dunkelsbuhler]. [Tijdschrift van den Nederlandschen Schaakbond, 9-10/1913, p. 32, New-York tribune, Nov 02, 1913, Leader (Melbourne) of Dec 6, 1913, West Sussex Sunday Times of Nov 1, 1913, American Chess Bulletin, 1914, 04, Шахматный вестник 22/1913, 352].

France

Right after this last event, Capablanca can be found in Paris...

On Oct 18 gave a simul at the Cafe de la Regence achieving +24=2-1 [Herzfeld & Lapointe draws, Benett won]. A week after, on Oct 25, an other exhibition took place for the chess club Echiquier for 33 boards, where Capablanca won 28, drew 3 and lost 2 in about 4 hours [Fernandez, Rey, Conti, drew, Hallegua & Humbert won].

On Oct 20 he played at the Cafe de la Regence two games in consultation simultaneously, one against Taubenhaus & Terestchenko that Capablanca won, and one against Aurbach & Tauber that ended as a draw. Arnold Aurbach proved to be a worthy opponent.

On the 23th of the same month, Capablanca played a friendly game against Aurbach in Tauber's apartment, in Neuilly-sur-Seine near Paris, that Aurbach actually won. According to Hooper & Brandwreth [The Unknown Capablanca, 1975, p. 112]: "Aurbach is to be praised for the manner in which he holds his advantage after Black's speculative play, and weaves his way through all the complications". They would play an other game the following day at the Cafe, where this time Capablanca prevailed. [Figaro of 20.10.1913, La Croix of 29.10.1913, L'Autorité of 28.11.1913, Шахматный вестник 22/1913, 351 //the dates in the Russian magazine troubled me a little in general. It seems that it was using our Gregorian calendar for dates of events that took place outside Russian Empire, while the previous Julian calendar was used for events inside RuE].

German Empire

After this he entered in Germany. First stop Frankfurt, where on Nov 3, Capablanca played 25 games simultaneously in the Andersen Chess Club. He achieved +23=1-1 in about 3 hours. Next stop Berlin...

... where it seems that he gave 3 simul exhibitions, but not all the newspapers mention all three. On Nov 9 for the Berlin Chess Club he played simultaneously against 30 opponents and in five and a half hours achieved +21=7-2. A few days later, on Nov 14, he scored +23=6-1 for the same club. But also a simul is mentioned, with unspecified date but possibly was the last of the three, at the famous Kerkau Cafe where Capablanca against 40 players achieved +33=5-2!

During these days, from Nov 15 to 20, he played also two mini matches of two games against Mieses and Teichmann at the Kerkau Cafe, and won all four [Neues Wiener Tagblatt of 04.11.1913, Tijdschrift van den Nederlandschen Schaakbond, 1/1914, 20, Allgemeine Sport-Zeitung, 30.11.1913, 1663, Het nieuws van den dag voor Nederlandsch-Indië of Dec 20, 1913, Tidskrift för Schack 11/1913, 200, Шахматный вестник 22/1913, 352 & 23/1913, 369].

Russian Empire

According to Russian chess magazine Шахматный вестник [23/1913, 368], Capablanca arrived in St. Petersburg on November 18 [Dec 01]. During his stay in Russian Empire and till the great tournament of 1914, he gave multiple simultaneous exhibitions and played many games with chess masters. A try is following for recording the scores of these exhibitions, mapping somehow Capablanca's route of these months [as taken from Шахматный вестник and most of them confirmed by Časopis českých šachistů. Dates are given as in the Russian magazine but also converted to Gregorian calendar]:

• Nov 11 & 12 [Nov 24 & 25]. Warsaw [POL] at Society of Chess Game Lovers (a Polish Chess Club). 1st for 30 boards achieving +25=2-3 in 5 and a half hours. 2nd 30 boards again. 3 and a half hours. +23=3-4 [Шахматный вестник 24/1913, 388].
• Nov 13 [Nov 26]. Lodz [POL] at local chess club. 30 boards with +23=5–2. Next day he won a consultation game in Lodz against Salwe, Goldfarb, Hirszbajn, Rosenbaum and Gottesdiener [Шахматный вестник 24/1913, 388].
• Nov 24 [Dec 07]. St. Peterburg. 30 boards. 4 hours. +24=3-3 [Alyavdin, Kozlov and Borkhov won] [Шахматный вестник 23/1913, 368].
• Dec 06 [Dec 19]. St. Peterburg. Probably 31 boards with +26=3-2. Among the names that drew, a 10-year old boy is mentioned, Prince Gedroitz. A photo of this game, or more possibly from a single one between Capablanca and Prince Gedroitz, was published in the newspaper Вечернее время, Dec 7, 1913 [Шахматный вестник 24/1913, 377].

• Dec 12 & 13 [Dec 25 & 26]. Riga [LVA]. 1st 28 boards with +21=6-1. 2nd 23 boards with +18=4-1. During his stay Capablanca won a game against Nimzowitsch. It's from ones that Capablanca himself picked to present in his Chess Career, 1966, p. 105. However date seems to be a little obscure. Capablanca gives Jan or Feb 1914 for this game. Online databases 30.12.1913. While according to the Russian magazine it was probably played between 25 & 28 of Dec 1913 [Шахматный вестник 2/1914, 34].
• Dec 15 [Dec 28]. Libava [LVA]. 26 boards: +24-2 [Шахматный вестник 2/1914, 35].
• Dec 19 [Jan 01, 1914]. Yuriev [EST ?]. 27 boards with +19=3-5 [Шахматный вестник 2/1914, 35].
• [Jan 16]. Pskov [RUS] with a perfect +31 [found in Jose Raul Capablanca by Miguel A. Sanchez, p. 194, but the score without the date is also given in Časopis českých šachistů 6/1914, 96].
• Jan 7 [Jan 20]. St. Petersburg [RUS]. A special simultaneous exhibition, possibly against state officers or generally significant persons of St. Petersburg. 20 games in 2 hours. +17=1-2 [Шахматный вестник 3/1914, 53].
• Jan 17-29 [Jan 30-Feb 11]. Moscow [RUS]. 5 simuls. 1st Jan 17 [Jan 30], 32 boards +21=4-7. 2nd Jan 20 [Feb 02], 31 boards +23=5-3. 3rd Jan 27 [Feb 09], 30 boards +23=2-5. 4th Jan 28 [Feb 10], 28 boards +23-5. 5th Jan 29 [Feb 11], 21 boards +13=3-5. Generally it was underlined the strong opposition and many names were mentioned. During these days Capablanca played two consultation games, one against Blumenfeld & Pavlov that he won, and one against Seleznev & Pavlon that ended a draw. Also a mini match was played against Ossip Bernstein that Capablanca won with 1,5/2. Two games of the previous four were selected by Capablanca for his Chess Career, 1966, pp. 98 & 101 [Шахматный вестник 3/1914, 47].
• Jan 18 [Jan 31]. Serpukhov [near Moscow - RUS]. 30 boards. +28=2 [Spasskoy & Litovym drew] [Шахматный вестник 3/1914, 53].
• Feb 03 [Feb 16]. Vyborg [RUS]. 20 boards all won [Шахматный вестник 6/1914, 99].
• Feb 04 & 05 [Feb 17 & 18]. Helsinki [FIN]. 1st 30 boards with +25=5. 2nd 30 boards with +22=1-7 [Шахматный вестник 6/1914, 99]. "Capablanca gave simultaneous displays in Helsinki on 19 and 20 February 1914 and not 17 and 18 February as stated in The Unknown Capablanca. (Source: many contemporary issues of the newspapers Uusi Suometar, Hufvudstadsbladet, Helsingin Sanomal and Dagens Tidning.)", from Ed. Winter's Capablanca, 1989, p. 312, fn.6-ch. 4.
• Possibly late February early March. Kiev [UKR]. 2 simultaneous exhibitions. 1st 30 boards with +24=1-5. 2nd 29 [or 30??] boards with +24=3-2. Names like Bohatyrchuk are mentioned among the participants, but possibly he lost. A consultation game was played during these days, Capablanca vs Bohatyrchuk, Bogoljubov & Evenson that ended as a draw. Hooper & Brandwreth [The Unknown Capablanca, 1975, p. 24] are giving the Mar 5th, 1914, as a date of this game. After Kiev he traveled to Vienna & Paris [Шахматный вестник 6/1914, 100].
• May 15 & 16 [May 28 & 29]. St. Peterburg. 2 simuls after the end of the big tournament and possibly the last recorded, with scores respectively +21=1-1 & 23=2-2 [Шахматный вестник 12/1914, 196]. Allgemeine Sport-Zeitung of 13.06.1914/610 mentions a prior simul of May 24, where Capablanca scored +27=2-1, but I couldn't track it in the Russian magazine. However this last score is mentioned in Časopis českých šachistů 7/1914, 111.

So mapping Capablanca's route, at least according to places that surely played: London [GB] - Paris [FRA] - Frankfurt [GER] - Berlin [GER] - Warsaw [POL] - Lodz [POL] - St. Petersburg [RUS] - Riga [LVA] - Libava or Libau [LVA] - Yuriev or Dorpat or Tartu [EST] - Pskov [RUS] - St. Petersburg [RUS] - Moscow + Serpukhov [RUS] - Vyborg [RUS] - Helsinki [FIN] - Kiev [UKR] - Vienna [AUT] - Paris [FRA] - St. Petersburg [RUS] - Berlin [GER] - Paris [FRA].

The Suvorin Cup

During December 1913 and while Capablanca was in St. Petersburg, the Chess Assembly of the city [С.П.Б. Шахматное Собраніе] organized two simultaneous exhibitions but also a mini tournament, or maybe better 3 matches of two games, Capablanca vs Eugene Aleksandrovich Znosko-Borovsky, Alexander Alekhine & Fyodor Ivanovich Dus Chotimirsky. According to the Russian chess magazine Шахматный вестник [24/1913, 376], the event was presented by local newspapers. By one, Вечернее время, more closely. Its editor, Boris Suvorin, seems that adopted this kinda tournament, presenting himself as the first of two co-organizers. He actually offered a prize-Cup to the one of the Russians that would have better results against Capablanca. According to the magazine the expenses of this mini tournament were covered by the Assembly, but welcoming the Suvorin's initiative who paid the prize-Cup!

I've taken a closer look at the pages of the Вечернее время newspaper. I couldn't extract some worthy to be mentioned info. However I've tracked the following image, published in the paper of Nov 21/Dec 04...

Anyway... Capablanca's results of these matches were: vs Eugene Aleksandrovich Znosko-Borovsky: 1-1, vs Alexander Alekhine: 2-0, & vs Fyodor Ivanovich Dus Chotimirsky: 2-0. And so Znosko-Borovsky won the Cup. Just one...

Match against Ossip Bernstein in Moscow

During Capablanca's stay in Moscow [early Feb 1914], he gave a series of simultaneous exhibitions but also played a mini match against Ossip Bernstein. Capablanca won with 1,5/2.

At Vienna & Paris

Leaving Kiev, Capablanca can be found in Vienna since Mar 10, 1914. Possibly left Russian Empire for a few days, so to play some games waiting for the big tournament. There visited the local club and played two games against Tartakower. He won with 1,5/2. He also won a game against young Reti...

During these days, Capablanca won also a game against Dr. Kaufmann and Fahndrich in consultation. Das interessante Blatt of 26.03.1914 & other sources are mentioning Reti as Capablanca's partner. Capablanca himself in his Chess Career [1966, p. 112], says nothing about Reti.

Between Mar 20 and 25 he visited Paris again. He played a 2-game match with Arnold Aurbach at the Cafe de la Regence but this time probably was aware of his skill and won both games. He also played a 2-board clock simul against Silbert and Muffang winning both [Hooper & Brandwreth, The Unknown Capablanca, 1975].

The big Tournament

The story is well known. The big tournament took place from Apr 21 to May 22 1914, in St. Petersburg. In the preliminaries Capablanca finished first with 8,5/10. One and a half points ahead of Em. Lasker. The first five advanced. And in the final Lasker made a big come back, scoring 7/8, and finishing in the end first with 13,5 in total - half a point ahead of Capablanca.

"My poor physical condition and Lasker’s superb form at the finish tell the tale, but at any rate it became evident that we stood above the rest of the competitors, and that only a match could decide who was the better of the two. I hope the match will come, the sooner the better, as I don’t want to play an old man, but a master in the plenitude of his powers. I have been ready, and challenged him for the first time eight years ago, and it is through no fault of mine that the match has not already taken place." Capablanca in My Chess Career, 1966, p. 119.

Examining the reasons of Capablanca's poorer performance in the final round and sayings on this topic, M. A. Sanchez gives the following funny aspect [in Jose Raul Capablanca, p. 203]:

"However, Capablanca did not keep such a pace in the second part of the competition, where his attention seemed shared with 'other incerests', as some newspapers in the city discreetly said. In the eight games of the final part, the Cuban lost one with Lasker and another with Tartasch, and obtained a total of five points; but Lasker scored seven points out of eight, which, added to those of the preliminary phase, allowed him to finish with half a point above Capablanca. Then che legend was born that the victory in the cournament was provided to Lasker by a beautiful lady, lover of the Czar’s brother, who used to accompany the Cuban too many hours of the day and evening. At least this does not seem true of the evening before his big mistake against Tarrasch, since Capablanca was taking a walk through the Nevsky Avenue with Alekhine, not with a lady. Anyway, it would always be wondered what Alekhine meant by the phrase 'youthful levity', on which he put the blame for Capablanca’s failure to win the tournament at a time when he was the most impressive player in the competition. On the same subject, the Russian composer Prokofiev wrote in his diary: 'Sosnitsky [the vice president of the St. Petersburg Chess Club] told me that Capablanca has been boozing until five in the morning in the Aquarium where he had been dragged by a woman friend who would not leave him alone.'

This second-hand description about the consumption of alcohol by Capablanca is surprising, because in an interview with the Yorkshire Evening Post, published on October 8, 1919, the Cuban said: 'One has to keep fit or one cannot play chess. That is why I do not smoke and drink very little wine.' In addition, several people who personally knew Capablanca always said that they rarely saw him drinking alcohol. At most, one or two glasses of wine, and that socially. On another page of his diary, Prokofiev identified a lady, perhaps the same one by whom Capablanca was captivated, as one Mme. Strakhovich: 'It was due to her that he had failed to capture the first prize.'"

Capablanca won the 1st brilliancy prize for his game against Bernstein on 7th round.

And one more game that I think has been discussed in the chess press a lot.

Leaving Europe...

Capablanca [in his Chess Career, 1966, p. 131], was writing:

"In July of 1914 I left St. Petersburg for South America. I stopped for a few days in Berlin and Paris, and took the steamer at Cherbourg for Buenos Aires. The war broke out as I was in mid-ocean, but I reached my destination safely after one or two exciting experiences."

However, there were really few articles in the American press mentioning that Capablanca was transfered to the Cuban embassy in Berlin. Already since Jun 21, meaning even before the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir of the Austrian crown - the most obvious event that triggered WWI [The sun of June 21, 1914, Omaha daily bee of June 28, 1914].

M. A. Sanchez, using as source Capablanca's diplomatic compendium, informs us in more detail [in Jose Raul Capablanca, pp. 204-205]:

"He spent the month of June waiting for an answer from Havana to his request of a transfer to Buenos Aires. But at the end of that month he received the news from Quesada y Arostegui that his new assignment would be in Berlin, as the general consul there was moved to Veracruz, Mexico, to leave him that vacant post. On July 13, Capablanca made the handover of the Cuban consulate in St. Petersburg to his replacement. After relinquishing his diplomatic position - renouncing his appointment as chancellor in Berlin, for reasons never fully explained; even Corzo was surprised - on July 13 Capablanca gave the Cuban consulate’s local post in St. Petersburg to his number two, Manuel Calvo, along with che formalities of the case, which included official documents, records and other belongings according to the inventory of the previous June 30."

World War I broke out on Jul 28, a month after the assassination of Austrian Prince. Maybe a little too much, but this Capablanca's renouncement of his new post in Berlin seemed like seeing the war clouds before the rain!

Capablanca was called for the famous Mannheim chess tournament but refused. Instead he can be found in Berlin, during that July, playing against Emanuel Lasker. They played 10 rapid games [of 45 mins], possibly for the prize of 100 marks donated by an anonymous. Capablanca won with 6,5 to 3,5. While Lasker seems that said: "It is remarkable; you make no mistakes." Possibly no games had survived from this encounter [Шахматный вестник 16/1914, 262, American Chess Bulletin 1/1915, 2].

.... thanx for reading