One hundred years ago today, José R. Capablanca and Emanuel Lasker played the first 31 1/2 moves of a game that would extend to 46 moves over two nights and give Capablanca the first win of the match. Although the move order differed, the game reached the same position at move seven that was seen in the opening game of the match. Capablanca then deviated at move nine, playing the move he suggested, "may be best" in his annotations to that game (see "Capablanca -- Lasker, Game 1").
The game was played in a room of the Casino de la Playa de Marianao, about which more will be said next week. Play began at 9:00 pm and continued until 1:00 am.
Because the game was decisive, it has been annotated in some depth by many chess writers, beginning with Amos Burn in The Field and David Janowski in American Chess Bulletin, and a few other journalists around the world. Garry Kasparov claims that the agreement between the players was the first time exclusive publishing rights for the competitors themselves had been part of a world championship match, but that, "one of the American journalists distributed the game scores right round the world" (My Great Predecessors, Part I, 264). Lasker also distributed the scores during the match with his Monday dispatches to Amsterdam's Telegraaf. These dispatches became the core of Lasker's book on the match, Mein Wettkampf mit Capablanca (1922).
The game was a terrific battle that merits extended study, as "both players displayed brilliant resourcefulness in an unusual position" (Kasparov). Lasker's annotations praise Capablanca's play, while Capablanca notes the depth of understanding displayed in Lasker's performance.
My annotations are supplemented with a small fraction of the extensive comments that have been made by others.
Capablanca,José Raúl -- Lasker,Emanuel [D63]
World Championship 12th Havana (5), 29.03.1921
1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.c4 e6 4.Bg5 Nbd7
4...Be7 was the move order Lasker employed in game 1, and is the more popular choice. Even so, transpositions are common.
5.e3 Be7 6.Nc3 0-0 7.Rc1
At this point, the position is the same as in game one.
7...b6?!
Lasker criticized this move, calling it of "questionable value" (fraglichem Werte).* It has indeed never become popular at the top levels, The strongest players since Lasker who have played it have been Ljubomir Ljubojevic and Nigel Short. Latvian GM Viesturs Meijers, ranked number 1751 in the world, plays it with some frequency.
8.cxd5
The idea is to make this move before Bc8-b7.
8...exd5
White to move
9.Qa4
In annotations to game one, Capablanca mentioned that this move is stronger than 9.Bb5 (see game 1). 9.Bd3 is more commonly played.
9...c5 10.Qc6
10.Bb5 appears in more games and White's score is better. With this move and the text, the number of games have been too few for statistics to mean anything.
After 9...c5, Capablanca wrote, "Considered up to now the best answer for Black, but I believe to have had the pleasure of finding over the board in this game the one way to knock it out."
10...Rb8 11.Nxd5
Black to move
11...Bb7
The ChessBase DVD** I have referred to several times in this series presents detailed analysis and about half of the games that continued with 11...Nxd5. The only games with 11...Bb7 are this one, and a simul later in 1921 when Lasker had the White side. That game was drawn. The results of the games beginning with 11...Nxd5 would seem to indicate that Capablanca's claim to have refuted Lasker's idea may have been premature.
These annotations continue 12.Qxd5 Bb7
a) 13.Bxe7 Qxe7 (Bxd5 is no good 14.Bxd8 Bxf3 15.Bxb6 Bxg2 16.Bxg2 axb6 and White is clearly better) 14.Qg5 (14.Qc4 has also been played)...
b) 13.Qf5 Bxf3 14.Bxe7 Qxe7 15.Qxf3 cxd4 16.Rc7 Isakov, K/Tselikov,N -- Alekhine, A/Pertzweig, Moscow, 1914. Won by White in 26 moves.
12.Nxe7+
The intermezzo is forced
12...Qxe7 13.Qa4 Rbc8
13...Bxf3 was played against Lasker in Madrid, and appears to be an improvement.
14.Qa3
Black to move
Capablanca: "This move might be said to be the key of White's whole plan. The main point is to be able to play Ba6."
This position deserves some detailed analysis. White has a material advantage, but his king could be in a bit of danger. There is long chain of pawns in contact along the a7-f2 diagonal, where c5-d4 threatens to blast open the position while White's king remains in the center. The plan Capablanca says is the key to his whole plan could result in an exchange of bishops, while the bishop pair might otherwise be considered a slight advantage.***
There are several shielding contacts (pins, or opportunities for discovery) that must be observed: the two rooks on the c-file. White's is unprotected. White's e-pawn is pinned by the queen, which itself is a target. White has Black's c-pawn pinned. Two knights--one for each side--are threatened by a bishop. White's knight is defended only by the g-pawn, while Black's knight has three defenders, but cannot move.
This position deserves some detailed analysis. White has a material advantage, but his king could be in a bit of danger. There is long chain of pawns in contact along the a7-f2 diagonal, where c5-d4 threatens to blast open the position while White's king remains in the center. The plan Capablanca says is the key to his whole plan could result in an exchange of bishops, while the bishop pair might otherwise be considered a slight advantage.***
There are several shielding contacts (pins, or opportunities for discovery) that must be observed: the two rooks on the c-file. White's is unprotected. White's e-pawn is pinned by the queen, which itself is a target. White has Black's c-pawn pinned. Two knights--one for each side--are threatened by a bishop. White's knight is defended only by the g-pawn, while Black's knight has three defenders, but cannot move.
14...Qe6
Stepping out of two pins.
15.Bxf6 Qxf6 16.Ba6
Black to move
16...Bxf3
Capablanca: "Dr Lasker thought for over half an hour before deciding upon this continuation. It is not only the best, but it shows at the same time the fine hand of the master. An ordinary player would never have thought of giving up the exchange in order to keep the initiative in this position, which was really the only reasonable way in which he could hope to draw the game."
Lasker noted that after 16...cxd4 17.Rxc8 Rxc8, White had O-O!
Myers gave 16...Bxa6 17.Qxa6 Qe7 18.O-O Nf6 19.b4! with a clear upper hand for White.
With Lasker's decision to give up the exchange, he seized the initiative and Capablanca was defending a difficult position for many moves. The variations offered in annotations to this game in the several sources seem staggering.
17.Bxc8 Rxc8 18.gxf3 Qxf3
Matters that I identified after White's move fourteen have been clarifies a bit. White is a clear exchange to the good with poorly coordinated pieces and a vulnerable king.
19.Rg1
If 19.O-O, Black can force a draw should he choose. But, perhaps at that point he would see reason to play for a win. White's king would have little shelter. For instance, 19...Rc6.
19...Re8 20.Qd3
20.Qxa7? Rxe3+! (Euwe)
20...g6
With Lasker's decision to give up the exchange, he seized the initiative and Capablanca was defending a difficult position for many moves. The variations offered in annotations to this game in the several sources seem staggering.
17.Bxc8 Rxc8 18.gxf3 Qxf3
Matters that I identified after White's move fourteen have been clarifies a bit. White is a clear exchange to the good with poorly coordinated pieces and a vulnerable king.
19.Rg1
If 19.O-O, Black can force a draw should he choose. But, perhaps at that point he would see reason to play for a win. White's king would have little shelter. For instance, 19...Rc6.
19...Re8 20.Qd3
20.Qxa7? Rxe3+! (Euwe)
20...g6
White to move
21.Kf1
Capablanca: "The play here was extremely difficult. I probably did not find the best system of defense. I can not yet tell which was the best defense here, but it is my belief that with the best play White should win."
21.dxc5?! Ne5 (Lasker)
Myers suggests 21.Rg3!?
21...Re4 22.Qd1 Qh3+ 23.Rg2 Nf6 24.Kg1
White has castled, in a certain manner of speaking, but with a rook replacing one of the pawns.
21...Re4 22.Qd1 Qh3+ 23.Rg2 Nf6 24.Kg1
White has castled, in a certain manner of speaking, but with a rook replacing one of the pawns.
Black to move
24...cxd4
Only move
25.Rc4
"Ausgezeichnet!" (Lasker) Excellent!
25...dxe3
25...Rg4? 26.Rc8+ Kg7 27.Rxg4 (Lasker)
26.Rxe4 Nxe4 27.Qd8+ Kg7 28.Qd4+ Nf6
White to move
29.fxe3
29.Qxe3 seems tempting to me, but Stockfish 13 assures me that Capablanca's move is better, and that Black would choose to keep queens on the board.
29...Qe6 30.Rf2 g5 31.h4
Black to move
Lasker sealed his 31st move and the game was resumed at 9:00 pm on 30 March.
See "Capablanca -- Lasker, Game 5 (continued)" for the conclusion of this game.
Notes
*Emanuel Lasker, Mein Wettkampf mit Capablanca (Berlin and Leipzig: Walter de Gruyter and Co., 1926 [1922]), 15.
**Additional sources include José Raúl Capablanca, World's Championship Matches, 1921 and 1927 (New York: Dover, 1977); and the ChessBase DVD: Master Class, vol. 04: José Raúl Capablanca (2015). The DVD reproduce most of the annotations by the players in all the match games, and for this game, additional notes by Hugh Myers, Max Euwe, and Dražen Marović. An additional DVD, Master Class, vol. 05: Emanuel Lasker (2015), is a great resource on Lasker, but the annotations on the 1921 match are less extensive than on the Capablanca DVD.
***Capablanca took credit for showing older masters that the bishop is a better piece than the knight.
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