[Ill.u.s.tration]

24. R Kt

with this sacrifice of the Rook for a Knight and p.a.w.n White obtains an overwhelming position.

24. ........ P R 25. Q P Kt - B 1

Kt - Q 2 was better in order to get rid of one of the two White Knights.

There were, however, any number of good replies to it, among them the following: Kt (B 5) Kt, B Kt; Q P, Q Q; Kt - B 7 ch, K - Kt 2; Kt Q, and with two p.a.w.ns for the exchange, and the position so much in his favour, White should have no trouble in winning. {156}

26. Kt - Kt 4 R - Kt 3 27. P - K 5 R - Kt 2 28. B - B 4 B - B 2

All these moves are practically forced, and as it is easily seen they tie up Black's position more and more. White's manoeuvres from move 24 onwards are highly instructive.

29. Kt - B 6 Kt - Kt 3

This wandering Knight has done nothing throughout the game.

30. Kt (B5) - K 4 P - K R 3 31. P - K R 4 Kt - Q 4 32. Q - Q 2 R - Kt 3 33. P P Q - B 1

If P P; K - B 2, and Black would be helpless.

34. P - B 4 Kt - K 2 35. P - K Kt 4 P P 36. P P Resigns.

There is nothing to be done. If B - Kt 1; Q - R 2 ch, K - Kt 2; B P.

The student should notice that, apart from other things, White throughout the game has had control of the Black squares, princ.i.p.ally those at K 5 and Q B 5.

From now on to the end of the book I shall give a collection of my games both lost and won, chosen so as to serve as ill.u.s.trations of the general principles laid down in the foregoing pages.

{159}

PART II

GAME 1. QUEEN'S GAMBIT DECLINED

(Match, 1909)

White: F. J. Marshall. Black: J. R. Capablanca.

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

I had played this defence twice before in the match with good results, and although I lost this game I still played it until the very last game, when I changed my tactics. The reason was my total lack of knowledge of the different variations in this opening, coupled with the fact that I knew that Dr. E. Lasker had been successful with it against Marshall himself in 1907. I thought that since Dr. Lasker had played it so often, it should be good. The object is to exchange a couple of pieces and at the same time to bring about a position full of possibilities and with promising chances of success once the end-game stage is reached. On general principles it should be wrong, because the {160} same Knight is moved three times in the opening, although it involves the exchange of two pieces. In reality the difficulty in this variation, as well as in nearly all the variations of the Queen's gambit, lies in the slow development of Black's Queen Bishop.

However, whether this variation can or cannot be safely played is a question still to be decided, and it is outside the scope of this book. I may add that at present my preference is for a different system of development, but it is not unlikely that I should some time come back to this variation.

6. B B Q B 7. B - Q 3

P P is preferable for reasons that we shall soon see.

7. ........ Kt Kt 8. P Kt Kt - Q 2

Now P P would be a better way to develop the game. The idea is that after 8...P P; 9 B B P, P - Q Kt 3, followed by B - Kt 2, would give Black's Bishop a powerful range. For this variation see the eleventh game of the match.

9. Kt - B 3 O - O

No longer would 9...P P; 10 B P, P - Q Kt 3 be good, because 11 B - Kt 5 would prevent B - Kt 2 on account of Kt - K 5. {161}

10. P P P P 11. Q - Kt 3 Kt - B 3 12. P - Q R 4 P - B 4

Played with the intention of obtaining the majority of p.a.w.ns on the Queen's side. Yet it is doubtful whether this move is good, since it leaves Black's Queen's-side p.a.w.ns disrupted in a way. The safer course would have been to play P - B 3.

13. Q - R 3 P - Q Kt 3

[Ill.u.s.tration]

This exposes Black to further attack by P - R 5 without any compensation for it. If I had to play this position nowadays I would simply play 13...R - K 1. Then after 14 Q P, Q Q would follow, and I believe that Black would regain the p.a.w.n. If, instead, White played 14 P P then B - Kt 5 would give Black an excellent game.

14. P - R 5 B - Kt 2 15. O - O Q - B 2 16. K R - Kt 1 Kt - Q 2

{162}

[Ill.u.s.tration]

Black's position was bad and perhaps lost in any case, but the text move makes matters worse. As a matter of fact I never saw White's reply B - B 5.

It never even pa.s.sed through my mind that this was threatened. Black's best move would have been 16...K R - Kt 1. If that loses, then any other move would lose as well.

17. B - B 5 K R - B 1

From bad to worse. Kt - B 3 offered the only hope.

18. B Kt Q B 19. P - R 6 B - B 3 20. P P P P 21. Q P Q R - Kt 1

The game was lost. One move was as good as another.

22. R R R R 23. Kt - K 5 Q - B 4 24. P - K B 4 R - Kt 3 25. Q R ! Resigns.

{163} Of course, if 25 Kt B, R - Kt 8 ch would have drawn. The text move is pretty and finishes quickly. A well-played game on Marshall's part.

GAME 2. QUEEN'S GAMBIT DECLINED

(San Sebastian, 1911)

White: A. K. Rubinstein. Black: J. R. Capablanca.