In order to break up White's centre and bring his Knight to B 4 and thus lay the foundation for a violent attack against White's King. The plan, however, fails, as it always must in such cases, because Black's development is backward, and consequently his pieces are not properly placed.

17. O - O P P 18. Kt - Q 5 !

A simple move, which destroys Black's plan utterly. Black will now have no concerted action of his pieces, and, as his p.a.w.ns are all weak, he will sooner or later lose them.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

18. ........ B - Q 1 19. B - B 4 Kt - B 4 20. Q P Q Q

{219} The fact that he has to exchange Queens when he is a p.a.w.n behind shows that Black's game is lost.

21. Kt Q B Kt 22. B B B - B 3 23. Q R - Q 1 B Kt

The Knight was too threatening. But now the ending brought about is one in which the Bishop is stronger than the Knight; which makes Black's plight a desperate one. The game has no further interest, and it is only because of its value as a study of this variation of the Petroff that I have given it.

Black was able to fight it out until the sixtieth move on account of some poor play on White's part. The rest of the moves are given merely as a matter of form.

24. R B K - Kt 2 25. B - B 4 R - Kt 3 26. R - K 1 K - B 3 27. P - B 4 Kt - K 3 28. P P ch P P 29. R - B 1 ch K - K 2 30. R - Kt 4 R - K Kt 1 31. R - B 5 R - B 3 32. P - K R 4 K R - Q B 1 33. P P R - B 4 34. B Kt P B 35. R R R R 36. P - Kt 6 K - B 1 37. R - Q B 4 R - Q R 4 {220} 38. P - R 4 K - Kt 2 39. R - B 6 R - Q 4 40. R - B 7 ch K P 41. R P R - Q 8 ch 42. K - R 2 P - Q 4 43. P - R 5 R - Q B 8 44. R - B 7 R - Q R 8 45. P - Q Kt 4 R - R 5 46. P - B 3 P - Q 5 47. R - B 6 P P 48. R P R Kt P 49. R - Q R 3 R - Kt 2 50. P - R 6 R - Q R 2 51. R - R 5 K - B 3 52. P - Kt 4 K - K 2 53. K - Kt 3 K - Q 3 54. K - B 4 K - B 2 55. K - K 5 K - Q 2 56. P - Kt 5 K - K 2 57. P - Kt 6 K - B 1 58. K P K - K 1 59. P - Kt 7 R P 60. P - R 7 R - Kt 3 ch 61. K - B 5 Resigns.

{221}

GAME 11. RUY LOPEZ

(St. Petersburg, 1914)

White: J. R. Capablanca. Black: D. Janowski.

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 Q P B 5. Kt - B 3

I played this move after having discussed it with Alechin on several occasions. Alechin considered it, at the time, superior to P - Q 4, which is generally played. He played it himself later on in the Tournament, in one of his games against Dr. E. Lasker, and obtained the superior game, which he only lost through a blunder.

5. ........ B - Q B 4

P - B 3 is probably the best move in this position. I do not like the text move.

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

This opens the K B file for White, and also reinforces his centre, but Black naturally did not want to make a second move with this Bishop.

8. P B Q - K 2 9. O - O O - O - O

Bold play, typical of Janowski. {222}

10. Q - K 1 Kt - R 3

[Ill.u.s.tration]

The problem for White now is to advance his Q Kt P to Kt 5 as fast as he can. If he plays P - Q Kt 4 at once, Black simply takes it. If he plays first P - Q R 3 and then P - Q Kt 4, he will still have to protect his Q Kt P before he can go on and play P - Q R 4 and P - Kt 5. As a matter of fact White played a rather unusual move, but one which, under the circ.u.mstances, was the best, since after it he could at once play P - Q Kt 4 and then P - Q R 4 and P - Kt 5.

11. R - Kt 1 ! P - B 3 12. P - Kt 4 Kt - B 2 13. P - Q R 4 B Kt

He simplifies, hoping to lighten White's attack, which will have to be conducted practically with only the heavy pieces on the board. He may have also done it in order to play Kt - Kt 4 and K 3. {223}

14. R B

Taking with the p.a.w.n would have opened a possibility for a counter attack.

14. ........ P - Q Kt 3

He is forced to this in order to avoid the breaking up of his Queen's side p.a.w.ns. The only alternative would have been P - Q Kt 4; which on the face of it looks bad.

15. P - Kt 5 B P P 16. P P P - Q R 4 17. Kt - Q 5 Q - B 4 18. P - B 4

[Ill.u.s.tration]

The White Knight is now a tower of strength. Behind it White will be able to prepare an attack, which will begin with P - Q 4, to drive away the Black Queen and thus leave himself free to play P - B 5. There is only one thing to take care of and that {224} is to prevent Black from sacrificing the Rook for the Knight and a p.a.w.n.

18. ........ Kt - Kt 4 19. R - B 2 Kt - K 3 20. Q - B 3 R - Q 2

Had White on his 19th move played K R - B 1 instead of R - B 2, Black could have played now instead of the text move, R Kt; K P R, Q P ch; followed by Kt - B 4 with a winning game.

21. R - Q 1 K - Kt 2

It would have been better for Black to play K - Q 1. The text move loses very rapidly.

22. P - Q 4 Q - Q 3 23. R - B 2 P P 24. P P Kt - B 5 25. P - B 5 Kt Kt 26. P Kt Q Q P 27. P - B 6 ch K - Kt 1 28. P R Q P (Q 2) 29. P - Q 5 R - K 1 30. P - Q 6 P P 31. Q - B 6 Resigns.

{225}

GAME 12. FRENCH DEFENCE

(New York, 1918)

White: J. R. Capablanca. Black: O. Chajes.

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

Not the most favoured move, but a perfectly natural developing one, and consequently it cannot be bad.

4 ........ P P

P - Q B 4 is generally played in this case instead of the text move.

5. Kt P Q Kt - Q 2 6. Kt Kt ch Kt Kt 7. Kt - B 3 B - K 2