Chess Fundamentals Part 23

29. Q - Kt 1 P - K 5 30. P Kt P R 31. P - Q 6 R - K 7 32. P - Q 7 R - B 7 ch 33. K - Kt 1 R - Kt 1 ch 34. Kt - Kt 3 Q - K 2

[Ill.u.s.tration]

35. R P

The position is most interesting. I believe I lost here my last chance to win the game, and if that is true it would vindicate my judgment when, on move 28, I played P - B 4. The student can find out what would happen if White plays Q - Q 4 ! at once. I have gone over the following variations: 35 Q - Q 4, R K R P (of course if R B P, P - Q 8 wins); {181} 36 Q Q P ! R - Q 1; 37 Q - R 6, K - Kt 1 best (if Q - Q 5 ch; K - R 1, K - Kt 1; R - Q Kt 1 wins); 38 Q B P and White will at least have a draw.

35. ........ R - K 7 36. Q - Q 4 R - Q 1 37. Q - R 4 Q - K 5 38. Q - R 6 K - Kt 1

There is nothing to be done against this simple move, since White cannot play Kt - Q 4, because Q - R 8 mates.

39. K - B 1 R Q P 40. Kt - Q 4 R - K 8 ch Resigns.

A very interesting battle.

GAME 5. RUY LOPEZ

(St. Petersburg, 1914)

White: Dr. E. Lasker. Black: J. R. Capablanca.

1. P - K 4 P - K 4 2. Kt - K B 3 Kt - Q B 3 3. B - Kt 5 P - Q R 3 4. B Kt

The object of this move is to bring about speedily a middle-game without Queens, in which White {182} has four p.a.w.ns to three on the King's side, while Black's superiority of p.a.w.ns on the other side is somewhat balanced by the fact that one of Black's p.a.w.ns is doubled. On the other hand, Black has the advantage of remaining with two Bishops while White has only one.

4. ........ Q P B 5. P - Q 4 P P 6. Q P Q Q 7. Kt Q B - Q 3

Black's idea is to Castle on the King's side. His reason is that the King ought to remain on the weaker side to oppose later the advance of White's p.a.w.ns. Theoretically there is very much to be said in favour of this reasoning, but whether in practice that would be the best system would be rather difficult to prove. The student should notice that if now all the pieces were exchanged White would practically be a p.a.w.n ahead, and would therefore have a won ending.

8. Kt - Q B 3 Kt - K 2

A perfectly sound form of development. In any other form adopted the Black Kt could not be developed either as quickly or as well. K 2 is the natural position for the Black Kt in this variation, in order not to obstruct Black's p.a.w.ns, and also, in some eventualities, in order to go to K Kt 3.

There is {183} also the possibility of its going to Q 5 via Q B 3 after P - Q B 4.

9. O - O O - O 10. P - B 4

This move I considered weak at the time, and I do still. It leaves the K P weak, unless it advances to K 5, and it also makes it possible for Black to pin the Kt by B - Q B 4.

10. ........ R - K 1

Best. It threatens B - B 4; B - K 3, Kt - Q 4. It also prevents B - K 3 because of Kt - Q 4 or B 4.

11. Kt - Kt 3 P - B 3

Preparatory to P - Q Kt 3, followed by P - Q B 4 and B - Kt 2 in conjunction with Kt - Kt 3, which would put White in great difficulties to meet the combined attack against the two centre p.a.w.ns.

12. P - B 5

[Ill.u.s.tration] {184}

It has been wrongly claimed that this wins the game, but I would like nothing better than to have such a position again. It required several mistakes on my part finally to obtain a lost position.

12. ........ P - Q Kt 3 13. B - B 4

[Ill.u.s.tration]

13. ........ B - Kt 2

Played against my better judgment. The right move of course was B B. Dr.

Lasker gives the following variation: 13...B B; 14 R B, P - B 4; 15 Q R - Q 1, B - Kt 2; 16 R - B 2, Q R - Q 1; 17 R R, R R; 18 R - Q 2, R R; 19 Kt R, and he claims that White has the best of it. But, as Niemzovitch pointed out immediately after the game, 16...Q R - Q 1 given in Dr. Lasker's variation, is not the best. If 16...Q R - B 1 ! then White will have great difficulty in drawing the game, {185} since there is no good way to stop Black from playing Kt - B 3, followed by Kt - K 4, threatening Kt - B 5. And should White attempt to meet this manoeuvre by withdrawing the Kt at Kt 3; then the Black Knight can go to Q 5, and the White p.a.w.n at K 4 will be the object of the attack. Taking Dr. Lasker's variation, however, whatever advantage there might be disappears at once if Black plays 19...Kt - B 3, threatening Kt - Kt 5 and also Kt - Q 5, neither of which can be stopped. If White answers 20 Kt - Q 5, Kt - Q 5 for Black will at least draw. In fact, after 19...Kt - B 3 Black threatens so many things that it is difficult to see how White can prevent the loss of one or more p.a.w.ns.

14. B B P B 15. Kt - Q 4

It is a curious but true fact that I did not see this move when I played 13...B - Kt 2, otherwise I would have played the right move 13...B B.

15. ........ Q R - Q 1

The game is yet far from lost, as against the entry of the Knight, Black can later on play P - B 4, followed by P - Q 4.

16. Kt - K 6 R - Q 2 17. Q R - Q 1

{186}

[Ill.u.s.tration]

I now was on the point of playing P - B 4, to be followed by P - Q 4, which I thought would give me a draw, but suddenly I became ambitious and thought that I could play the text move, 17...Kt - B 1, and later on sacrifice the exchange for the Knight at K 6, winning a p.a.w.n for it, and leaving White's K P still weaker. I intended to carry this plan either before or after playing P - K Kt 4 as the circ.u.mstances demanded. Now let us a.n.a.lyse: 17...P - B 4. If 18 Kt - Q 5, B Kt; 19 P B, P - Q Kt 4; and a careful a.n.a.lysis will show that Black has nothing to fear. Black's plan in this case would be to work his Kt around to K 4, via Q B 1, Q Kt 3, and Q B 5 or Q 2. Again, 17...P - B 4; 18 R - B 2, P - Q 4; 19 P P, B P; 20 Kt B (best, since if R (B 2) - Q 2, B Kt give Black the advantage), R Kt; 21 R R, Kt R; and there is no good reason why Black should lose.

17. ........ Kt - B 1 18. R - B 2 P - Q Kt 4 {187} 19. K R - Q 2 R (Q 2) - K 2 20. P - Q Kt 4 K - B 2 21. P - Q R 3 B - R 1

Once more changing my plan and this time without any good reason. Had I now played R Kt; P R ch, R P; as I intended to do when I went back with the Knight to B 1, I doubt very much if White would have been able to win the game. At least it would have been extremely difficult.

22. K - B 2 R - R 2 23. P - Kt 4 P - R 3 24. R - Q 3 P - Q R 4 25. P - K R 4 P P 26. P P R (R 2) - K 2

This, of course, has no object now. Black, with a bad game, flounders around for a move. It would have been better to play R - R 6 to keep the open file, and at the same time to threaten to come out with the Knight at Kt 3 and B 5.

27. K - B 3 R - Kt 1 28. K - B 4 P - Kt 3

Again bad. White's last two moves were weak, since the White King does nothing here. He should have played his Rook to Kt 3 on the 27th move.

Black now should have played P - Kt 4 ch. After missing this chance White has it all his own way, and finishes the game most accurately, and Black becomes more {188} helpless with each move. The game needs no further comment, excepting that my play throughout was of an altogether irresolute character. When a plan is made, it must be carried out if at all possible.

Regarding the play of White, I consider his 10th and 12th moves were very weak; he played well after that up to the 27th move, which was bad, as well as his 28th move. The rest of his play was good, probably perfect.

29. R - Kt 3 P - Kt 4 ch 30. K - B 3 Kt - Kt 3 31. P P R P P 32. R - R 3 R - Q 2 33. K - Kt 3 ! K - K 1 34. Q R - K R 1 B - Kt 2 35. P - K 5 Q P P 36. Kt - K 4 Kt - Q 4 37. Kt (K 6) - B 5 B - B 1 38. Kt R B Kt 39. R - R 7 R - B 1 40. R - R 1 K - Q 1 41. R - R 8 ch B - B 1 42. Kt - B 5 Resigns.

{189}