This Is One of My Best Games - The Sixth Game of the Match
My Chess Career by Capablanca, Part VIII
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In this issue, we dive back into Capablanca’s book ‘My Chess Career’. It is time to look at game six in the 1909-match against Marshall. A game Capablanca mentions as one of his best!
Earlier we looked at game five. A game Capablanca won with some good endgame technique.
Games in the series:
THE MATCH WITH MARSHALL, CHAPTER IV, My Chess Career, part VIII
Game No. 8
The Sixth Game of the Match
J. R. Capablanca vs. F. J. Marshall, 1-0
Link to Lichess study
Year: 1909
Opening: Ruy Lopez
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 d6 4. c3
Not in accord with the true theory of the game, but as I have already said, my knowledge of such things at the time was not of any account 4. d4 is generally conceded to be the proper continuation.
4... Bg4
I do not like this move, because later on the Bishop will be driven back by h3 with evident gain of time for White. 4... f5 Seems good and leads to interesting complications.
5. d3 Be7 6. Nbd2 Nf6 7. O-O O-O 8. Re1 h6
The maneuver intended by Black is too slow to be good. Time is too important to be thus wasted. White with the move possesses an advantage, which can only be held in check by very accurate play on the part of Black.
9. Nf1 Nh7 10. Ne3
10… Bh5
If 10...f5 11. exf5 Bxf5 12. Nxf5 Rxf5 13. d4 and White should win, because if
13... exd4 14. Bxc6 followed by Nxd4 wins at least a Pawn, and if instead of
13... exd4; 13...Bf6, then 14. Bd3 wins the exchange.
11. g4 Bg6 12. Nf5 h5
Not good, because Black can derive no advantage from the open Rook’s file, while White will be able to utilize it for his Rooks. Better would have been Ng5 in order to simplify the position.
13. h3 hxg4 14. hxg4 Bg5
I would have preferred Ng4, though the chances are that the game cannot be saved.
15. Nxg5 Nxg5 16. Kg2 d5 17. Qe2 Re8 18. Rh1
Now what I said in a previous note becomes evident.
18... Re6 19. Qe3
A very important move, the object of which is to shut off the action of the opposing Queen, and at the same time to bring the White Queen into the game. It also creates a weak diagonal in Black’s game, against which the White Bishop can act.
19... f6 20. Ba4 Ne7 21. Bb3 c6 22. Qg3 a5 23. a4 Nf7 24. Be3 b6
To prevent the coming of the Bishop to c5. It favours, however, the plan of White, which is to close in the Black pieces so as to be able to use his own freely.
25. Rh4 Kf8 26. Rah1 Ng8 27. Qf3
Compelling Black to take the Knight, strengthening still more the position of White.
27... Bxf5 28. gxf5 Rd6 29. Qh5 Ra7 30. Qg6
30… Nfh6
There was no defence available. If 30... Ne7 31. Rh8+ Nxh8 32. Rxh8+ Ng8 33. Qh7 Kf7 34. Bxb6 winning.
31. Rxh6 gxh6 32. Bxh6+ Ke7 33. Qh7+ Ke8 34. Qxg8+ Kd7 35. Qh7+ Qe7 36. Bf8
36… Qxh7 37. Rxh7+ Kc8 38. Rxa7
Resigns
Outside of the opening it would be difficult to find where White could have improved his play. This is one of my best games. I saw Napier the day after I played it and he praised it highly.
As something new, I will gift one of my paperback books to one lucky reader who has helped share the newsletter. The winner will be announced at the end of the month. The more times you share the higher the chance! I appreciate all the help I can get reaching more chess fans.
The Post-Mortem
The game was a smooth win by Capablanca, and Marshall gave the advantage to Capablanca early in the game. Two moments stand out:
The most common reply is 4… Bd7 scoring 40 % for Black in the Lichess database. Interestingly enough 4… f5 (the move Capablanca suggests) is scoring better with 47 % for Black.
I have found an interesting game in the database between Duda in Hikaru in the Bd7-line. I liked Hikaru’s Knight maneuver with Nc8-Nd6.
4… Bd7 Duda, J. (2730) vs Nakamura, Hi (2745), 2019, 0-1
It would have been interesting if Capablanca had expanded on his point about h3 making Bg4 bad. Why did he not play 5. h3 immediately? I got some good responses on Twitter:
The second moment on his way into the pit of despair for Marshall was 12… h5?!
And Capablanca is correct that Ng5 is the best try according to the engine.
An interesting idea for White is then Kh1! with the idea to play Rg1 to put even more pressure on the King-side.
I hope you enjoyed this newsletter and found the game as interesting as I did.
I’m starting to look forward to the Candidates and contemplating if I should write something during the rounds. Are you going to follow the tournament?
/Martin