After nine games, British Chess Magazine stated in the May issue, "These games are perhaps models of accuracy, but are mainly incredibly dull, but as a matter of record we will publish them in the Magazine, beginning next month" (184). Then, when George A. Thomas annotated game 12 in the September issue, he expressed regret:
...that this ending was carried no further. It is difficult to say which player, if either, held an advantage. But there was obviously still a great deal of play in the position, which is of a most uncommon type, owing to the widely dissimilar character of the opposing forces. The continuation could scarcely have failed to be both interesting and instructive. (349)Thomas called the game, "thoroughly interesting" (349). The game was played one hundred years ago today. This post is number 21 in a series on the match. As has been the norm, annotations by the players offer insights into where they think they could have improved.
Lasker,Emanuel -- Capablanca,Jose Raul [C66]
World Championship 12th Havana (12), 16.04.1921
[Capablanca/Lasker]
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0-0 d6 5.d4 Bd7 6.Nc3 Be7 7.Re1 exd4 8.Nxd4 0-0
Up to this point, the moves have been the same as in game 6. This position was also reached via a different move order in game three when Capablanca had White.
White to move
9.Bf1
"White can of course make many moves here without taking any damage, for example what usually happens, 9.Bxc6. Or 9.b3 and the text is not bad either" (Lasker).
Even today, half a dozen moves are played when White eschews the main line. It is not a common position, having appeared only 220 times in the entire run of The Week in Chess. 9.Bxc6 is the most popular move and 9.Bf1 the second choice. 9.b3, 9.f4, 9.h3, 9.Bf4, 9.Nxc6 and others have been played.
9...Re8 10.f3 Bf8
The following year, Capablanca played 10...Nxd4 11.Qxd4 Be6 12.Qf2 c6 13.Bd2 Qb6 14.Na4 Qxf2+ 15.Kxf2 0-1 (38) Euwe,M -- Capablanca,J, London 1922.
11.Bg5 h6 12.Bh4 g6
"The defense that Capablanca chooses here is difficult" (Lasker).
13.Nd5
Thomas in BCM gets to the heart of what the players of the game concluded: "This leads to some very interesting play; but the ensuing complications seem, on the whole, somewhat unfavourable to White who only just succeeds in maintaining equality" (348).
I am reminded of Cyrus Lakdawala's comment on Lasker's gambling tendencies in game 11.
13...Bg7
"I cannot very highly recommend the system of defense adopted by me in this variation" (Capablanca).
"White can of course make many moves here without taking any damage, for example what usually happens, 9.Bxc6. Or 9.b3 and the text is not bad either" (Lasker).
Even today, half a dozen moves are played when White eschews the main line. It is not a common position, having appeared only 220 times in the entire run of The Week in Chess. 9.Bxc6 is the most popular move and 9.Bf1 the second choice. 9.b3, 9.f4, 9.h3, 9.Bf4, 9.Nxc6 and others have been played.
9...Re8 10.f3 Bf8
The following year, Capablanca played 10...Nxd4 11.Qxd4 Be6 12.Qf2 c6 13.Bd2 Qb6 14.Na4 Qxf2+ 15.Kxf2 0-1 (38) Euwe,M -- Capablanca,J, London 1922.
11.Bg5 h6 12.Bh4 g6
"The defense that Capablanca chooses here is difficult" (Lasker).
13.Nd5
Thomas in BCM gets to the heart of what the players of the game concluded: "This leads to some very interesting play; but the ensuing complications seem, on the whole, somewhat unfavourable to White who only just succeeds in maintaining equality" (348).
I am reminded of Cyrus Lakdawala's comment on Lasker's gambling tendencies in game 11.
13...Bg7
"I cannot very highly recommend the system of defense adopted by me in this variation" (Capablanca).
White to move
14.Nb5
"The combinations beginning with this move are all wrong. White's proper move was simply to hold the position by playing 14.c3 After the text move, Black should get the better game" (Capablanca).
14...g5
"The only alternative was 14...Rc8 whereupon white with 15.c4 restricts Black badly and yet forces 15...g5" (Lasker).
15.Ndxc7
"If 15.Bf2 Nxd5 would give Black the better game. The combination indulged in by White is good only in appearance" (Capablanca).
15...gxh4 16.Nxa8 Qxa8
"The combinations beginning with this move are all wrong. White's proper move was simply to hold the position by playing 14.c3 After the text move, Black should get the better game" (Capablanca).
14...g5
"The only alternative was 14...Rc8 whereupon white with 15.c4 restricts Black badly and yet forces 15...g5" (Lasker).
15.Ndxc7
"If 15.Bf2 Nxd5 would give Black the better game. The combination indulged in by White is good only in appearance" (Capablanca).
15...gxh4 16.Nxa8 Qxa8
White to move
17.Nc7
"Here I made a mistake. It was better to take a central pawn than an exchange. By playing 17.Qd6, White would get a strong game. For example, Rd8 18.Qf4 h3 19.Rad1 and White has a rook and two pawns for two light pieces with better development" (Lasker).
17...Qd8 18.Nxe8 Nxe8
White has gained material, having two rooks and a pawn for three minor pieces. However, Black's pieces seem much better placed than White rooks.
19.Rb1
"Now the d6-pawn serves as a support point and White has no minor pieces to take it. Because of this, all efforts of White to win the game must ultimately fail" (Lasker).
19...Be6
"Here I made a mistake. It was better to take a central pawn than an exchange. By playing 17.Qd6, White would get a strong game. For example, Rd8 18.Qf4 h3 19.Rad1 and White has a rook and two pawns for two light pieces with better development" (Lasker).
17...Qd8 18.Nxe8 Nxe8
White has gained material, having two rooks and a pawn for three minor pieces. However, Black's pieces seem much better placed than White rooks.
19.Rb1
"Now the d6-pawn serves as a support point and White has no minor pieces to take it. Because of this, all efforts of White to win the game must ultimately fail" (Lasker).
19...Be6
White to move
20.c3
"If White plays 20.c4, the hole on d4 is worse than the loss of the pawn, and Bf1 would be condemned to inaction. The Field [Amos Burn] gives the next continuation 20.c4 Qa5 21.a3 Bc4 22.Bc4 Qc5+, but I believe that Black with 20...Be5 21.Qd2 Qf6 can continue the game much better" (Lasker).
20...Bxa2
"A mistake. The question of time at this point was not properly appreciated by Black, who went in to recover a pawn, which was of no importance whatever. Worse yet, the capture of the pawn only helped White. Black had here a won game by playing 20...Be5" (Capablanca).
21.Ra1 Be6 22.Qd2 a6
"22...h3 was better. After the text move Black has an extremely difficult game to play" (Capablanca).
23.Qf2
"If White plays 20.c4, the hole on d4 is worse than the loss of the pawn, and Bf1 would be condemned to inaction. The Field [Amos Burn] gives the next continuation 20.c4 Qa5 21.a3 Bc4 22.Bc4 Qc5+, but I believe that Black with 20...Be5 21.Qd2 Qf6 can continue the game much better" (Lasker).
20...Bxa2
"A mistake. The question of time at this point was not properly appreciated by Black, who went in to recover a pawn, which was of no importance whatever. Worse yet, the capture of the pawn only helped White. Black had here a won game by playing 20...Be5" (Capablanca).
21.Ra1 Be6 22.Qd2 a6
"22...h3 was better. After the text move Black has an extremely difficult game to play" (Capablanca).
23.Qf2
Black to move
23...h5
"23...Qg5 would have given Black better chances to win. After the text move there is nothing better than a draw" (Capablanca).
24.f4 Bh6
"23...Qg5 would have given Black better chances to win. After the text move there is nothing better than a draw" (Capablanca).
24.f4 Bh6
White to move
25.Be2
"With this White wins a pawn, but the important e4 pawn is exchanged. 25.Bd3 h3 26.Kh1 was more sustainable and the rooks would come into their own" (Lasker).
25...Nf6 26.Qxh4 Nxe4 27.Qxd8+ Nxd8 28.Bxa6 d5
"With this White wins a pawn, but the important e4 pawn is exchanged. 25.Bd3 h3 26.Kh1 was more sustainable and the rooks would come into their own" (Lasker).
25...Nf6 26.Qxh4 Nxe4 27.Qxd8+ Nxd8 28.Bxa6 d5
White to move
29.Be2
"On 29.Bd3 there would be 29...Nc5" (Lasker).
29...Bxf4 30.Bxh5 Bc7 31.Rad1
"This move is not a clever move because it exposes the rooks too much to the attacks of the minor pieces, but White cannot win in any way as long as Black restricts himself to defense" (Lasker).
"On 29.Bd3 there would be 29...Nc5" (Lasker).
29...Bxf4 30.Bxh5 Bc7 31.Rad1
"This move is not a clever move because it exposes the rooks too much to the attacks of the minor pieces, but White cannot win in any way as long as Black restricts himself to defense" (Lasker).
Black to move
The game was adjourned here, and presumably Capablanca sealed a move. But a draw was agreed without resumption.
½-½
Lasker 2:05 - Capablanca 1:54
"Having had twenty-four hours to consider the position, we both came to the conclusion that there was nothing in it but a draw" (Capablanca).
Sources
"Having had twenty-four hours to consider the position, we both came to the conclusion that there was nothing in it but a draw" (Capablanca).
Sources
Capablanca, José Raúl. World's Championship Matches, 1921 and 1927. New York: Dover, 1977.
Lakdawala, Cyrus. Capablanca: Move by Move. London: Gloucester, 2012, Everyman ebook.
Lasker, Emanuel. Mein Wettkampf mit Capablanca. Berlin and Leipzig: Walter de Gruyter, and Co., 1922.
"The World's Championship." British Chess Magazine, vol. 41, no. 5 (May 1921), 184.
Thomas, George A. "Game No. 4,865." British Chess Magazine, vol. 41, no. 9 (September 1921), 347-349.
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