Part 12 of a series recognizing the Centennial of Capablanca -- Lasker, World Chess Championship, Havana 1921.
The seventh game of the match was played during a single session of less that three hours on Saturday, 2 April 1921. Because it is a short draw, it receives little attention by commentators, except in the context of frequent complaints by chess fans who want to see fighting chess.
Should World Championship contenders take risks? Faced with a dynamic option that entailed some risk, Capablanca notes in his comment on one move that he sought to avoid risk with a one-point lead in the match. Lasker, for his part, adopted a more solid defensive scheme than he employed in two previous encounters in this match. Perhaps the importance of this game is that both players were seeking information about the other's plans for a battle later in the match.
Capablanca,José Raúl -- Lasker,Emanuel [D61]World Championship 12th Havana (7), 02.04.1921
[Capablanca/Lasker/Janowski]
1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 e6 3.c4 Nf6 Commenting on Game 5 for
American Chess Magazine (April 1921), where Black's 2nd and 3rd moves were played in reverse of the order in this game, David Janowski wrote: "It has always been a puzzle to me as to which is the best defense for Black. The so-called orthodox defense, which Dr. Lasker, so far as I know, never adopted before until this match, I found some fifteen years ago quite unsatisfactory. In the internationals tournaments of Ostend, 1905, Barmen, 1905, I adopted with success dxc4, which up to date I consider very likely to be the best defense."
The database of Lasker's games on the DVD
Master Class, vol. 05: Emanuel Lasker (2015) offers three games as Lasker's experience with this system from the Black side prior to the match with Capablanca: a game from 1890 against his older brother, a game against Blackburne in London in 1892, and a casual game in New York that year.
4.Bg5 Be7 5.e3 Nbd7 Commenting on the 4th move in game 5, Janowski adds: "Dr Lasker, in his chess magazine, made the following remark on one of my match games with Frank Marshall: 'Why should one develop the knight at d7, blocking his bishop, while that knight can be developed at c6?' I quite agree with him. Strange to say, all the great masters in their older days play against their own theory. They evidently miss the power of conviction and determination which is the characteristic of youth."
6.Nc3 0-0 7.Rc1 So far in the match, we have seen this position twice before when Lasker had Black. The exception was game three's Four Knights/Spanish.
Black to move
7...c6 Abandoning the dubious 7...b6, played in games one and five.
8.Qc2 c5 "This move is not to be recommended" (Capablanca).
I would note that in Capablanca's expression of general principles in
Chess Fundamentals,
A Chess Primer, and
Last Lectures, he often stresses the concept of time. Moving a pawn twice to reach a square where it could go in one move is a clear violation of his advice. Edward Winter's narrative of Capablanca's visits to England in 1920 include a statement by Brian Harley that he examined proofs for
Chess Fundamentals in October 1920 (106-107). According to Miguel A. Sánchez, the book was published in December 1921 in both England and the United States (259).
"Black has apparently lost a move, but by moving the queen to c2 White has reduced the pressure on d5 and has not gained anything essential" (Lasker).
9.Rd1 "Capablanca goes back to the familiar line, only that it took Black two moves to move from c7 to c5 and White to move Ra1 to d1" (Lasker).
"9.cxd5 would have been the proper to continue" (Capablanca).
9...Qa5 10.cxd5 Nxd5 11.Bxe7 Nxe7 12.Bd3 Nf6 13.0-0 cxd4 White to move
14.Nxd4 "14.exd4 was the alternative. It would have led, however, to a very difficult game where, in exchange for the attack, White would remain with an isolated queen's pawn; leading at this stage of the match by one point, I did not want to take any risks" (Capablanca).
14...Bd7 15.Ne4 Ned5 16.Nb3 Qd8 17.Nxf6+"What if 17.Nbc5? so 17...Rc8" (Lasker).
17...Nxf6 18.Qc5 Qb6 "With this move Black neutralizes whatever little advantage White might have had. The draw is now in sight" (Capablanca).
White to move
19.Rc1 Rfc8 20.Qxb6 axb6 21.Rxc8+ Rxc8 22.Rc1 Rxc1+ 23.Nxc1 ½-½
Capablanca 1:22 - Lasker 1:20
The score stands at one win for Capablanca and six draws.
ReferencesSánchez, Miguel A. José Raúl Capablanca: A Chess Biography. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2015.
Winter, Edward. Capablanca: A Compendium of Games, Notes, Articles, Correspondence, Illustrations and Other Rare Archival Materials on the Cuban Chess Genius Jose Raul Capablanca, 1888-1942. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1989.
