D35 Alekhine,A Capablanca,J H Buenos Aires 1927

Transcription

1 D35 Alekhine,A Capablanca,J H Buenos Aires 1927 The 13th World Championship had two of the geniuses in chess history as protagonists: Alexander Alekhine and Jose Raul Capablanca, the precursor of positional play and endgame comprehension. The motivation for studying positional play and the chess legacy left by Capablanca is easily understandable. As a matter of fact, it is a desideratum we wish our students to share throughout our attempt at a systematic display of positional play enigmas and of a way not only to develop a healthy thinking based on shaping up an ability to evaluate and estimate efficiently different chess structures and positions, but also to acquire some intuition and sense of position. In order to improve chess performances, the contribution offered by the Classics' games is an indisputable source for progress. For that matter, let us not forget that two of the ex-world champions (M. Botvinnik and A. Karpov) confess having formed their play style by studying the great Capablanca's games. Fortunately, the 20th game in the match for the World title takes place while having another brilliant chess player Alexander Alekhine, the game's quality being highly increased even nowadays. 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 d5 The classic structure of the Queen's Gambit played in this game gives us the chance to clearly see and catch the main features of the opening, middle-game and endgame, noticing in detail the moment of transition from one stage to the other, which is a very important aspect in chess learning and understanding. One of the targets set forth for analysis is represented by the particularities of the chess game after the queens' exchange (it is a known fact that beginner chess players have a certain "fear of draw" and reticence towards the queens' exchange, precisely because of the impossibility of estimating correctly and efficiently the complex endings that come up after this exchange, the premise of the lack of attack from the part of queen's offensive force being decisive. After the 3 d5 move, Black already imposes a certain route on the future structure to be played. What does actually happen after advancing d5? Will Black's entire plan be revealed to the White after blocking the centre and biting into the so-called structure of the Queen's Gambit? In the openings, where after the white pawn advances to d4, the black blocks his way by subsequently replying with d5, the Black's game plan aims to develop the pieces quickly, castle after bringing out the dark-square bishop on the f8-a3 diagonal (usually on e7) and possibly open the light-square diagonals, after Black's exchange to c4 and White's exchange to d5. The big problem with this particular black structure is the bishop's development from c8 in the future so as not to be left with a piece "out of play" and implicitly with an undeveloped queenside. 4.Bg5 There are other ways of dealing with the position but White would rather have the darksquare bishop tie down the knight on f6, at the same time putting pressure on the pawn on d5. Indeed, the bishop ties down the knight on f6 but exposes himself in the future to an exchange with his opponent on f8, whose placement will be, under these circumstances on e7. If the bishop had remained on c1, White could have used the more modern plan that starts with e2-e3 and is based on a lot more compact strategy of White and a probable positioning of pieces: Bd3, Qe2, b3, Bb2 and Nf3. Nevertheless, the classical array in Queen's Gambit and the bishop's going away from c1 frees the square for the a1-rook in the future. Be7 5.e3 White's move goes on according to the plan and aims at a better protection for the pawn on c4, also sustaining the pawn on d4. In the opening, making the most of one's own options while playing down the opponent's options is the best strategy in order to gain advantage. The White is not in a hurry to develop the knight to f3 as there is an option to develop it on e2 now. 0-0 Black sets about the fight for gaining a very 1

2 2 important tempo. What is Black's plan concretely and why isn't he in a hurry to develop queen-side? The idea is very logical: Black wants to exchange on c4 but first he wants to force White into moving the bishop from f1 in order to lose a tempo. After castling, the idea of diminishing the offensive potential of White comes up, by means of the knight's going away from f6 and bringing about the dark-square bishops' exchange. 6.Nf3 By this move, White agrees to engage in the fight for tempo. So, calling for "to do list" is highl y important. In practice this fact is translated by White's wish to challenge Black to modify his queen-side pawn structure by playing b6 or c6, or to agree to lose a tempo and capture on c4. Thus, even from the opening, White has confronted Black with some difficulties that require an immediate and concrete approach. Nbd7 The fight for tempo continues. In this way, a further possible attack on the pawn on d4 is prepared by playing c5 or e5. Thus, the knight on b8 improves his qualitative status, sustaining the knight on f6 and c5- and e5- squares. 7.Rc1 How should White react in an efficient way? Is c7-c5 a real threat for breaking the play? Obviously yes, so White may, without any fear, keep the king in the centre and try to counteract any offensive action from the opponent's part. Very important in chess is the mode and the speed of reaction to the opponent's maneuvers. c6 This is a typical move in Queen's Gambit. By this Black guards and sustains the knight's showing up from f6 to d5 after the exchange on c4, also preparing a possible offensive alternative on the queen-side by b7-b5. 8.Bd3 Practically, the battle for tempo was carried on up to the very end. Once Black played c7-c6, the break on the queen-side by the typical reply c7-c5 would be achieved in two moves so White can take over the b1-h7 diagonal, balancing the loss of tempo by the further capture on c4. How should White have reacted in this stage of the opening where the qualitative status of his pieces is continually changing? Practically, by bringing the bishop on the b1-h7 diagonal, White compels Black to concretely evaluate the possibility of defense and the chance to diminish the dynamic potential of White's pieces. dxc4 After the exchange on c4, Black wishes to make some useful exchanges and give some airing to his play after the Nd5 reply, then improving the bishop's status on c8 by e6-e5. 9.Bxc4 Nd5 10.Bxe7 [White is compelled to accept the exchange. 10.Ne4 is not working because of: f6 11.Bh4 g5 12.Bg3 f5 13.Nc3 f4 and White loses a piece. ] 10...Qxe7 11.Ne4 What must White effectively do to try not to simplify the position excessively, turning it into a dry one? White mustn't exchange the minor pieces and implicitly the knight on e4, because the dynamic advantage and the white knights' status are superior to the black knights. We can actually talk about the concept of "superfluous" pieces: for a better understanding of the term we present the black knights' situation (they both aim at square d5, one of them occupies it and the other one may get to f6 or b6, still eyeing square d5). A higher status and a different placement for the knights would have been better. That is why White would rather exchange the queens and keep the minor pieces. N5f6 12.Ng3 The consequences of White's move are obvious, he consents to engage in a complex endgame of minor pieces precisely because of the fact that his pieces are more dynamically placed and after the queens' exchange he will be able to bring in his rooks on c- and d- files.

3 Qb4+ 13.Qd2 Qxd2+ 14.Kxd2 What plan must White implement and which were the reasons why he engaged in this complex endgame of minor pieces? Having space advantage, White wants to place his rooks on c- and d- files, the king on e2 and then to advance e3-e4. The main minus looked for by White in the opposite side is the impossibility of making the bishop on c8 active without weakening or altering the pawn structure. Rd8 Bringing the rook on the same file with the opposing king has a perfect logic, thus creating the threat of thematic breakings: e5 or c5. 15.Bd3 White is protecting his king by interposing a piece on the d-file. Let's evaluate the correctness of the bishop's withdrawal to d3 and what was White's reason behind this decision. By this maneuver, White changes the status and position of the light-square bishop by placing it on the typical diagonal in this structure: b1-h7, he guards the c5-square from eventual breaking c6-c5 and restricts the knight's jump to e4 in the future. Now, not even the reply b7-b6 is possible because the c6-pawn is left unprotected. For Black, the problem of developing the bishop from c8 becomes very pressing. e5 This is the only dynamic and correct response. Black must free his c8-bishop and he takes advantage of the d- file opening. 16.dxe5 Having dynamic superiority on the king-side by the placement of the two knights, White fairly avoids exchanging a knight pair. [ 16.Nxe5 Nxe5 17.dxe5 Ng4 and Black recovers his pawn, centralizes his knight and after the knight's going away from d7, the c8- bishop can efficiently develop. ] 16...Ng4 Diagram XABCDEFGHY 8r+ltr-+k+( 7zpp+n+pzpp' 6-+p+-+-+& 5+-+-zP-+-% n+$ 3+-+LzPNsN-# 2PzP-mK-zPPzP" 1+-tR-+-+R![ xabcdefghy What can White do in this position? Can he keep on fighting for blocking the bishop on c8? It is a decisive moment since driving away from the dangerous d-file by normally answering with Ke2 leads only to a draw after the exchanges on e5 and the further development of the bishop from c8. 17.e6! White exposes himself on the d-file but has his defense resource Rc3 in order to defend the d3- bishop. Nde5 [after 17...fxe6 Black has a long-term weakness: the e-pawn ] 18.Nxe5 Nxe5 19.exf7+ What are the consequences of White's staying put in the centre with his king? Are his pieces cooperating sufficiently well? After the exchange on f7 White is left with a majority of four against two pawns on the kingside and this fact can be an advantage, especially after exchanging one knight-pair. Once the knight on f3 is exchanged, the pawn on f2 can be set on move and the black knight's freedom will be restrained. 3

4 4 Kxf7 20.Rc3 By bringing the rook on the third rank, White exposes himself to the attack of the b7 pawn, but this one is practically forced to defend the bishop on d3. Is it time to bring on a plan of escaping from the dangerous pin on the d-file? White must destabilize Black's most active and central piece and change its qualitative status. b5 How should White react? The important thing for White is not to try to prevent the b4 advance, but to destabilize the knight on e5. 21.f4! [ 21.a3 a5 and after the exchange on b4, the a8-rook would substantially increase its status using the open a-file. ] [ 21.b4 a5! ] [ 21.Ke2 b4 22.Bc4+ Nxc4 23.Rxc4 Ba6 catching the white rook ] 21...b4 22.fxe5 bxc3+ 23.Kxc3 What should White do in order to improve the status of his pieces? White threatens Ng3-e4-d6, maintaining not only an excellent dynamic of the piece, but also two pawns for the exchange. By making the g3- knight active, White takes over the free pawn's transformation square, visibly hindering the black rook's activity on the d-file. Ke6 What are the consequences of Black's move? It is a known fact that in the endgame a fundamental rule is that of centralizing the kings, which in this way become a force eventually supporting their own pieces. The black king actually takes part in the attack threatening to capture the e5-pawn. [ 23...Re8 24.Bc4+ Kg6 25.Kd4 c5+ 26.Kxc5 Rxe5+ 27.Kd4 and White keeps 2 pawns for the exchange. In the game, Capablanca tries to play dynamically to take the initiative. ] 24.Ne2! What is White's plan and why is he sacrificing the e5-pawn? The roles have switched now: Alekhine is trying to open the lines towards the opponent king and makes his knight active on d4, also attacking the c6-pawn. Moreover, the knight on d4 will have a secure outpost. Kxe5 25.Nd4 Once the pieces have been centralized, White forces Black to defend the c6-pawn with the bishop, thus narrowing its possibilities of becoming active. The strong d4-knight limits the activity of the black rook on the open d-file. Bb7 26.Bxh7 White keeps the material balance and now has the possibility of advancing the kingside pawnmajority and creating a free pawn. c5 Black advanced his c-pawn, but this may become an easy target for White. 27.Nf3+ Kf6 28.Bd3 Black threatened g7-g6 and Kg7 capturing the bishop. Re8 The consequences of Black's move are translated by his wish to place his rooks harmoniously and to put pressure in the centre, on e- and d- files. Now the a8-rook can be brought into the centre where his status as a piece not taking part in the battle will be improved. 29.Re1 White threatens to set his e-pawn on move. After this gets to e5 with check, the black king will find itself in a dangerous situation. Moreover, the central white pawn will restrict the dynamics of the black rooks. What is Black's correct approach to the position's requirements?

5 5 Diagram XABCDEFGHY 8r+-+r+-+({ 7zpl+-+-zp-' mk-+& 5+-zp-+-+-% $ 3+-mKLzPN+-# 2PzP-+-+PzP" 1+-+-tR-+-! xabcdefghy Bxf3 Capablanca doesn't want a pawn on e5 placed on the colour opposed to his bishop which is practically un-attackable. After exchanging on f3, the white's pawn structure changes, the black rooks being able to attack the h2-pawn. 30.gxf3 Rh8 31.Re2 What are the consequences of White's move? What plan should White take on? White is facing a forced situation. Although the rook on the second rank cannot put the heat on the black king's position and attack the weak c5- and g7- pawns as he is bound to defend the h2- pawn, advancing the e3-pawn becomes White's main objective with the purpose of restricting the black rooks' dynamics and the maneuver space of the opposing king. Rh4 The Black's plan is simple: Capablanca sets a barrier for the king on the fourth rank, thus protecting the c5 pawn and he implicitly threatens with doubling on the h file and capturing the h2 pawn. 32.Be4 The consequences of White's move are not that evident on a first glance. White seems to willingly give up his h2-pawn, but by bringing the bishop to a central position, this protects the f3- pawn, makes room for the white king to get to c5 via c4 and allows the rook's entering the d- file. Rd8 [At 32...Rah8 there would have followed 33.Rd2 with the idea Rd6+ and Ra6 and the a7 pawn is lost. The fight for restricting the dynamic potential of the opponent's pieces is the main quality of these two chess geniuses. ] 33.a4 White wants to advance the a-pawn and to clear the second rank in view of freeing his pieces of defending the pawns. g5 In his turn Capablanca wants to prevent any advance of the white pawns, blocking the white pawn on f3. At the same time he wants to destabilize the bishop's position from e4 by g5- g4. 34.a5 [ 34.b3 would have been better, the pawns being much easier to be defended on their own bishop's colour. At a5, the pawn may become vulnerable. ] 34...g4 35.fxg4 Rxg4 Black exchanged another pair of pawns, thus disrupting the bishop's strong position in the centre. By exchanging the pawns, Black has also opened more lines for his rooks, indirectly protecting the c5 pawn as well, because now the 4th rank is protected by the rook. 36.Bd3 Ra4 What is Black's plan in this position? He has isolated White's pawns and tries to attack and capture them. The presence of the white king on c3 and of the bishop on d3 makes it hard because the white's pawns b2, e3 and h2 are now difficult to attack especially after "isolating" the rook on a5, during which White

6 6 can activate his rook. 37.Rf2+ Ke7 38.a6 For Black, a white defended pawn at a6 may become very annoying given that the rook may attack the backward a7-pawn. Rf8 Black tries to diminish the dynamic potential of White using the exchange tactic, trying to exchange the most dangerous piece, the one that can attack the a7 pawn. We know that White should keep the last major piece ("the coordinator of play") on the board. 39.Rg2 White threatens to attack the a7-pawn or even the c5-pawn. c4? [Being short of time, Capablanca makes a mistake: the correct move would have been 39...Kf7 in order to protect the white rook's moving in. ] Diagram XABCDEFGHY tr-+( 7zp-+-mk-+-' 6P & % 4r+p+-+-+$ 3+-mKLzP-+-# 2-zP-+-+RzP" ![ xabcdefghy 40.Rg7+ Kf6 41.Rg6+ Kf7 ( 41...Ke7 42.Bxc4 ) 42.Rg4 taking advantage of the unfortunate position of the rook on a4 which is undefended. ] 40...Rc8 41.b3 Rxa6 Now the position is a draw because there isn't enough material on the board for either one of the sides to win. 42.e4 Ra1! What is Black's plan? This is a very important move that brings the rook back in the game and aims at attacking White's weakness, namely the h2-pawn. 43.Kd4 Rh8 draw Capablanca, one of the geniuses in dealing with the endgame, managed to gradually diminish and annihilate, by means of the exchange strategy, White's attempts at improving the position and status of his own pieces. The queens' exchange doesn't lead to a position that lacks tactical resources, on the contrary, if this exchange allows you to gain a tempo don't hesitate to enter a favorable endgame. The lack of space can lead to a choked position. In this case, by pawn's thematic sacrifice, Black managed to make his bishop on c8 active. Don't forget that to this pawn sacrifice, Alekhine reacted with a counter-sacrifice, meant to increase the dynamic potential of his own pieces. ½-½ 40.Bxc4? Alekhine makes a mistake and blows away his last chance to play the endgame to victory. [The correct continuation would have been: