The DUEL

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 The DUEL

The Parallel Chess Lives

of A. Alekhine and
J.R. Capablanca
Alessandro Bossi, Claudio Brovelli

Thinkers Publishing 2022

 Key to symbols

! a good move  White has a serious advantage

? a weak move  Black has a serious advantage
!! an excellent move +– White has a decisive advantage
?? a blunder –+ Black has a decisive advantage
!? an interesting move  with an attack
?! a dubious move  with initiative
 only move  with counterplay
= equality  with the idea of
∞ unclear position  better is
 with compensation for the N novelty
sacrificed material + check
 White stands slightly better # mate
⩱ Black stands slightly better
 Table of Contents

Foreword....................................................................................................... 11

Introduction................................................................................................. 13
Esteban CANAL (1896 – 1981) .................................................................................................15
E. Canal – P. Johner ............................................................................................................................. 15

Chapter 1
ORIGINS AND JUVENILIA............................................................................... 17
José Antonio Blanco – José Raúl Capablanca ..............................................................................20
Juan Corzo – José Raúl Capablanca ...............................................................................................22
Augusts Gize (or Giese) – Alexander Alekhine ............................................................................ 25
Fedor (Fyodor) Ivanovich DUZ-KHOTIMIRSKY (1881 – 1965)...........................................27
F. I. Duz-Khotimirsky – F. J. Marshall............................................................................................... 27

Chapter 2
FIRST INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIONS......................................................... 29
Frank James Marshall – José Raúl Capablanca ...........................................................................30
Oldrich Duras - Alexander Alekhine ............................................................................................... 33
Aron Nimzowitsch – José Raúl Capablanca .................................................................................. 35
Rudolf Spielmann – Alexander Alekhine........................................................................................40
José Raúl Capablanca – Alexander Alekhine ................................................................................42
Alexander Alekhine – José Raúl Capablanca ................................................................................44
Frank James MARSHALL, (1877 – 1944)................................................................................ 46
S. Levitsky – F. J. Marshall ................................................................................................................46

Chapter 3
ST. PETERSBURG, 1914................................................................................. 47
Alexander Alekhine – José Raúl Capablanca ................................................................................49
Alexander Alekhine – José Raúl Capablanca ................................................................................ 51
 José Raúl Capablanca – Alexander Alekhine ................................................................................ 52
Akiba RUBINSTEIN (1880 – 1961)............................................................................................57
A. Rubinstein – C. Schlechter .......................................................................................................... 57

Chapter 4
WAR YEARS................................................................................................... 59
Alexander Alekhine – Gyula Breyer ................................................................................................59
Oscar Chajes – José Raúl Capablanca ...........................................................................................62
Gyula”Julius” BREYER (1893 – 1921) .....................................................................................70
M. Euwe – G. Breyer............................................................................................................................ 70

Chapter 5
A NEW CHAMPION AND HIS CHALLENGERS.................................................. 71
Emanuel Lasker – José Raúl Capablanca ...................................................................................... 72
Alexander Alekhine – Efim Bogoljubov .......................................................................................... 74
Alexander Alekhine – José Raúl Capablanca ................................................................................ 78
Akiba Rubinstein – Alexander Alekhine.......................................................................................... 79
Emanuel LASKER (1868 – 1941).............................................................................................. 83
Em. Lasker – J. H. Bauer.....................................................................................................................83

Chapter 6
PREPARATION, PREPARATION...................................................................... 85
Esteban Canal - Alexander Alekhine ...............................................................................................86
José Raúl Capablanca – Alexander Alekhine ................................................................................90
Alexander Alekhine – José Raúl Capablanca ................................................................................95
Richard RÉTI (28 May 1889 – 6 June 1929) ........................................................................97
Richard Réti – Efim Bogoljubov........................................................................................................ 97

Chapter 7
BEING A WORLD CHAMPION OR PLAYING LIKE A WORLD CHAMPION?...... 99
George Alan Thomas – Alexander Alekhine ................................................................................. 101
Fedor Parfenovich Bohatirchuk – José Raúl Capablanca .........................................................104
Edward Lasker - José Raúl Capablanca ........................................................................................108
 Alexander Alekhine - Carlos Portela ..............................................................................................111
Efim Dmitriyevich BOGOLJUBOV (1889 – 1952) ................................................................114
E. D. Bogoljubov – G. Danielsson..................................................................................................... 114

Chapter 8
A PYRRHIC VICTORY.................................................................................... 115
Alexander Alekhine – José Raúl Capablanca ................................................................................117
José Raúl Capablanca – Alexander Alekhine ............................................................................... 119
Alexander Alekhine – José Raúl Capablanca ...............................................................................120
José Raúl Capablanca – Alexander Alekhine................................................................................ 121
Aaron NIMZOWITSCH (1886 – 1935).................................................................................... 126
H. K. Mattison – A. Nimzowitsch.....................................................................................................126

Chapter 9
THE GREAT CLASH (PART ONE)..................................................................... 127
José Raúl Capablanca – Alexander Alekhine ...............................................................................128
Alexander Alekhine – José Raúl Capablanca ............................................................................... 131
José Raúl Capablanca – Alexander Alekhine ...............................................................................132
Alexander Alekhine – José Raúl Capablanca ............................................................................... 135
José Raúl Capablanca – Alexander Alekhine ............................................................................... 137
Alexander Alekhine – José Raúl Capablanca ...............................................................................139
José Raúl Capablanca – Alexander Alekhine ............................................................................... 141
Alexander Alekhine – José Raúl Capablanca ...............................................................................143
José Raúl Capablanca – Alexander Alekhine ...............................................................................145
Alexander Alekhine – José Raúl Capablanca ............................................................................... 147
José Raúl Capablanca – Alexander Alekhine ...............................................................................148
Alexander Alekhine – José Raúl Capablanca ............................................................................... 152
José Raúl Capablanca – Alexander Alekhine ............................................................................... 155
Alexander Alekhine – José Raúl Capablanca ...............................................................................156
José Raúl Capablanca – Alexander Alekhine ............................................................................... 157
Alexander Alekhine – José Raúl Capablanca ...............................................................................158
José Raúl Capablanca – Alexander Alekhine ...............................................................................159
Chapter 10
THE GREAT CLASH (PART TWO).................................................................... 163
Alexander Alekhine – José Raúl Capablanca ...............................................................................163
José Raúl Capablanca – Alexander Alekhine ...............................................................................165
Alexander Alekhine – José Raúl Capablanca ...............................................................................166
José Raúl Capablanca – Alexander Alekhine ...............................................................................168
Alexander Alekhine – José Raúl Capablanca ................................................................................171
José Raúl Capablanca – Alexander Alekhine ............................................................................... 175
Alexander Alekhine – José Raúl Capablanca ................................................................................177
José Raúl Capablanca – Alexander Alekhine ............................................................................... 179
Alexander Alekhine – José Raúl Capablanca ............................................................................... 181
José Raúl Capablanca – Alexander Alekhine ...............................................................................182
Alexander Alekhine – José Raúl Capablanca ...............................................................................184
José Raúl Capablanca – Alexander Alekhine ............................................................................... 187
Alexander Alekhine – José Raúl Capablanca ............................................................................... 191
José Raúl Capablanca – Alexander Alekhine ...............................................................................192
Alexander Alekhine – José Raúl Capablanca ...............................................................................196
José Raúl Capablanca – Alexander Alekhine ...............................................................................201
Alexander Alekhine – José Raúl Capablanca ...............................................................................202

Chapter 11
PARADISE NOT REGAINED............................................................................. 213
Akiba Rubinstein – José Raúl Capablanca ................................................................................... 217
Alexander Alekhine – Efim Bogoljubov .........................................................................................220
Milan Vidmar – Alexander Alekhine...............................................................................................223
José Raúl Capablanca – Max Euwe ................................................................................................228
Alexander Alekhine – Emanuel Lasker ..........................................................................................233
José Raúl Capablanca – Grigory Levenfisch ................................................................................235
Alexander Alekhine – Max Euwe ....................................................................................................239
Max EUWE (1901 – 1981) ......................................................................................................... 241
Max Euwe – Richard Reti..................................................................................................................241
Chapter 12
FROM NOTTINGHAM 1936 TO AVRO 1938.................................................... 243
José Raúl Capablanca – Erich Eliskases .......................................................................................246
José Raúl Capablanca – Alexander Alekhine ...............................................................................250
Alexander Alekhine – Max Euwe ....................................................................................................257
José Raúl Capablanca – Alexander Alekhine ...............................................................................262
Alexander Alekhine – José Raúl Capablanca ...............................................................................264
Mikhail BOTVINNIK (1911 – 1995)......................................................................................... 267
Paul Keres – Mikhail Botvinnik........................................................................................................268

Chapter 13
DEATH OF TWO CHAMPIONS......................................................................... 269
Jens Enevoldsen – Alexander Alekhine .........................................................................................272
Jens Enevoldsen – José Raúl Capablanca .....................................................................................275
Karel Opočensky – Alexander Alekhine ........................................................................................280
Paul KERES (1916 – 1975).........................................................................................................286
Paul Keres – Alexandre Alekhine ...................................................................................................286

Chapter 14
APPRAISALS, DATA AND NOTES.................................................................... 287

APPENDIX “A”
TOURNAMENTS WHERE BOTH ALEKHINE AND CAPABLANCA COMPETED.... 297

APPENDIX “B”
SCORES OF ALEKHINE AND CAPABLANCA WITH THE SAME OPPONENTS ... 300

APPENDIX “C”
BIBLIOGRAPHY AND OTHER SOURCES ....................................................... 303

Acknowledgments ....................................................................................... 306

DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF

ESTEBAN CANAL
and
FRANCESCO MONDINI
 11

Foreword
By Michele Godena (*)

I am convinced that to cultivate the memory of the past and to study the classics
is always useful and worthwhile, not least because it enables us to understand
and face with greater awareness the facts and the problems of the present time.
Much has already been written about the giants who have preceded us, and
in particular, the Cuban, José Raúl Capablanca, and the Russo-Frenchman,
Alexander Alekhine, but a new approach can surely offer different and interest-
ing perspectives.

In The Duel, Alessandro Bossi and Claudio Brovelli go deep into the lives of
these two legendary World Champions, who have left their mark in an unforget-
table manner on their epoch (the first forty years of the 20th century) and who
remain – in part, due to their very different personalities and relationship with
the game – inimitable examples for all the chess-playing generations to come.
The choice to present in parallel the two biographies (in my opinion quite rightly
so), shows clearly and effectively similarities and differences, not only in the style
of play, but also in the approaches to life of the two protagonists.
With very precise historical descriptions and presenting the events in chron-
ological order, the authors accompany us on a journey alongside the lives of these
two legends of chess. In this fashion the personalities emerge, in many ways an-
tithetical but equally fascinating: Capablanca, friendly and charming in society,
precocious, genial and nearly invincible on the chessboard, and Alekhine, who
combined a wonderful talent with a capacity for work, a competitive attitude and
an energy which was truly enviable.

Alekhine was rational and focused in pursuing his objective to supersede his
rival. The Cuban champion represented for the younger Russian player a refer-
ence and a model – firstly, to be studied from a critical and highly penetrating
perspective and then to be surpassed and beaten. The fact that, after wrestling
the world title from him in the year 1927, Alekhine had always refused Capablanca

(*) Grandmaster (1996), five-time Italian chess champion.

12 The Duel

the chance of revenge will always remain a cause of regret for chess fans, but it
also demonstrates that the new World Champion was fully aware of having per-
formed a feat that was perhaps not repeatable.
The many masterpieces that both of them created on the chess board, which
constitute for the public their most important legacy, enrich this volume and un-
derline key moments of their respective careers. The games are analyzed well by
the authors, who enlighten the reader as to how the diverse conceptualization
and the different styles of the “duelists” (the more strategic and positional of Ca-
pablanca’s versus the more aggressive and combinative of Alekhine’s) are instruc-
tive and entertaining even nowadays, for all those who love chess and who wish to
improve their understanding of it.

The value of this volume lies also in the parts where Bossi and Brovelli, with
painstaking accuracy, have quoted both direct impressions of the two protago-
nists (interviews, articles, letters and quotations from their works) and evalua-
tions (in the comments and memories of their contemporaries). In such a way,
a contest of wider significance is described, which helps in understanding the
characters, the period and the specific contexts. Among the witnesses emerges,
in particular, Esteban Canal, the great champion of Peruvian origin who spent
much of his time in Italy. He had the privilege of fighting with both Capablanca
and Alekhine and becoming acquainted, if not a friend, with them. One of the
authors, Alessandro Bossi, was lucky enough to come to know Canal personally
and to hear directly from him of the many episodes and anecdotes described in
this book.

Enjoy your reading!

 13

Introduction

0.1

T his story, or this passion, begins at Christmas in 1971. I was 15 years old. As a
present I received from my sisters a splendid book, the Dizionario Enciclopedico
Degli Scacchi (Chess Encyclopedic Dictionary) by Adriano Chicco and Giorgio Por-
reca, two well-known players and authors of that period. In the book, among
a plethora of other information, I found the biographies and most important
games of Alekhine and Capablanca, which became for me two sources of chess
happiness. Since then, I have tried to find out as much as possible about the two
champions, studying their collection of best games and reading the comments of
experts on how they had influenced the history of the game.

Gradually, the idea of a book was conceived: I thought of a triangle, with

Capablanca and Alekhine looking at each other directly, but also through a mir-
ror, placed on one side. I imagined myself to be that mirror.

Books, videos and other materials were my principal sources, but they were
not the only ones. Luckily, I could rely on an eyewitness, a man who had met both
of them and become their friend: Esteban Canal (1896 – 1981). This fascinating
character and strong player (FIDE awarded him the title of Honorary Grandmas-
ter in the year 1977) lived many years of his eventful life near Gavirate (in the prov-
ince of Varese, northern Italy) where the chess club, to which I now belong, was
located and named after him. It seemed to me nothing short of a miracle to come
to know, speak and play with a person who had known, spoken and played with
these two giants! It was a great pity that this could happen only in the last years
of his life, since he passed away in 1981 at the age of 85.
14 The Duel

0.2

W hat is the reader going to find in this book?

- All the games (49) played between Alekhine and Capablanca, with
commentaries;
- Some games played by them against other opponents, considered rel-
evant in the context of the discussion;
- Short biographies of the main chess players mentioned in each chap-
ter and the charts of the tournaments where the two champions
played together.

Before starting to write the book, I had to consider some technical aspects.
Firstly, much has already been written about Capablanca or Alekhine; secondly,
nowadays, with the simple push of a button, long and flawless variations can be
obtained through a computer; finally, any work purporting to analyze games in
the context of contemporary opening theory becomes outdated a few days after
publication. Therefore, I decided on an approach that was not a full biography of
either player, but a sketch of their lives, each seen also through the eyes of the other. It
would not be a detailed analysis of moves (with the exception of those which are
really critical), rather the discussion of ideas and plans; not contemporary open-
ing assessments, but an attempt to set the games in the context of the theory of
their time.
I owe the idea of the title to the great biographer of the past, Plutarch (I/II
century A.D.). In his Lives, he was the first to adopt the method of juxtaposing
two subjects in order to better describe, by comparison, their characters and ac-
complishments.

Finally, preparing such a book is not an easy task and it took approximately
two years. I could count on the help of a friend and fan of chess history, Claudio
Brovelli, who took charge of the analytical part of the work – he fully deserves to
be considered a co-author.
We have tried to write a book which is both passionate and accurate. We now
entrust it to the benevolence of the readers.

Milan, November 2021

Alessandro Bossi, Claudio Brovelli
Introduction 15

T T T T T T T

Esteban CANAL (1896 – 1981)

Canal was born in Chiclayo (Peru), his family being of Spanish origin. Still very
young, he moved to Europe where he lived a bohemian and eventful life. He fi-
nally settled in Cocquio (a province of Varese, Italy), where he spent many years,
to the point of considering himself Italo-Peruvian – and where he died in 1981.
His participation in chess tournaments was episodic and his results were
often affected by insufficient preparation and practice. Nevertheless, mention-
ing only international events, he came first in Budapest (1933), second in Trieste
(1923), Merano (1926), Venice (1947 and 1948), and tenth out of 22, in the presti-
gious tournament of Carlsbad (1929), always showing an imaginative and lively
style of play.
He met all the great players of the 20’s and 30’s, winning against Bogoljubov,
Euwe, Eliskases and Spielmann and drawing with Capablanca, Nimzowitsch and
Rubinstein.
In 1948 he wrote a middlegame treatise, based on his games, titled Strategia
di Avanposti (Strategy of Outposts). In Canal’s interpretation, an “outpost” is the
most advanced pawn in one’s position and it dictates the plan to be followed.

E. Canal – P. Johner
Carlsbad, 1929
Giuoco Piano [C50]

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bc4 Bc5 XIIIIIIIIY

5.d3 d6 6.Bg5 h6 7.Bxf6 Qxf6 8.Nd5 9-+-trr+k+0
Qd8 9.c3 Ne7 10.d4 exd4 11.Nxd4 Nxd5 9zppzpl+p+-0
12.Bxd5 0-0 13.Qd3 Qf6 14.Bb3 Re8 9-+-zp-wq-zp0
15.0-0 Be6 16.Bc2 g6 17.Kh1 Rad8 18.f4 9+-vl-+Pzp-0
Bd7 19.f5 g5 9-+-sNP+-+0
(see diagram next column) 9+-zPQ+-+-0
9PzPL+-+PzP0
20.Ne6 fxe6 21.fxe6 Qg6 22.exd7 Rxd7 9tR-+-+R+K0
23.Rf5 Rde7 24.Raf1 Kg7 25.e5 Rh8 xiiiiiiiiy
26.e6 Qxe6 27.Rf6 1-0
 17

Chapter 1

ORIGINS AND JUVENILIA

1.1

W e start with a tale of two cities which are even more different from each
other than London and Paris: they are Havana and Moscow.

José Raúl Capablanca y Graupera was born in Havana, Cuba, on 19 November

1888. At that time, Cuba had a population of one and a half million inhabitants
and was a colony of Spain. José Raúl’s father was serving as an officer in the local
garrison of the Spanish army. Later on, he started to deal with the business of
sugarcane, one of the main natural products of Cuba. Capablanca’s mother was a
pretty lady, coming from the colonial aristocracy. Canal says that many presents
were made by the goddess Fortune to this baby (beauty, talent, wealth)… but adds
that a bit of wisdom was lacking: we shall see what he meant.

Moscow was the place of birth of Aleksandr* Aleksandrovich Alekhine, on 31

October 1892. As the capital of Russia, its population surpassed one million after
a few years (in 1895). Russia was a kingdom, under the dynasty of the Romanovs:
Nicholas II was to become Tsar within two years (1894). He and his family were
destined to be killed during the turbulent years of the Russian Revolution (1917
ff).
Alekhine’s father was a noble and a Member of Parliament, often out of the
family house because of his duties. Of more importance than him in relation to
Alexander’s upbringing was Agnessa Prokorova, his mother, a substantial share-
holder in a textile enterprise and a skillful trader herself. It was not only she but
also her mother who influenced Alekhine’s character, which may explain the
preference he showed in his life for older women. It is already possible to see
remarkable similarities in the stories of Capablanca and Alekhine.

* Anglicized to “Alexander” throughout this book.

18 The Duel

For those who think that not only the place but the time of birth may influ-
ence the character of a person, they both came to life under the zodiac sign of
Scorpio – described by astrologers as a sign of water (which represents the col-
lection of mental energies), fixed and shaped by feelings.
No less important were the many other chess players born in the 19th cen-
tury, who suffered hardships at an early age: Charousek, Rubinstein, Steinitz.
Capablanca and Alekhine could grow and develop without these kinds of prob-
lems.
A third similarity has to do purely with chess: the two cities, Havana and
Moscow, had both hosted a world chess championship. In Havana there had been
the match between Steinitz and Chigorin in the year 1889, whilst in Moscow the
(revenge) match between Lasker and Steinitz, took place in the year 1896. Maybe
these events left something in the air…
As far as the learning of the game was concerned, Alekhine was taught by his
mother at an early age and remained immediately fascinated, while Capablanca’s
father was his “teacher”, but in a different way. Capablanca himself recalls the
episode in his book, My Chess Career. He was not yet five years old when he saw his
father playing with a fellow officer. Captured by the game, he followed it closely,
understanding the movement of the pieces as it unfolded before him. Suddenly
he realized that his father had moved a knight from a light square to another light
square, without his opponent noticing it. After the end of the game, Capablanca
teased his father who, irritated, challenged him to a game: José Raúl won that
game easily and a subsequent one – and a star was born.
ORIGINS AND JUVENILIA 19

1.2

I n order to keep the great passion of the two boys for chess under control, both
their families introduced some restrictions: Capablanca was allowed to attend
the Havana Chess Club only after
he became eight years old, and only
strictly during the week-ends. Ale-
khine’s parents thought to prohibit
the use of the chess board, but the
resourceful kid discovered that he
was able to analyze positions in his
mind!
Once, during an algebra lesson
at school, he jumped onto his feet
and the professor asked, “Alekhine,
have you solved the problem?”
“Yes,” replied the pupil. “I sacri-
fice the knight and White wins!”
Even the professor joined the
laughter of the class. José Raúl Capablanca

Though the royal game was well-known and practiced in Cuba, this could not
be compared with the situation in Russia, and particularly in Moscow. The pres-
ence of a challenger for the world title, as Chigorin was, had strengthened an
already-heightened interest. Many strong players were present in the city.
One of them was Fyodor I. Duz-Khotimirsky, who gave Alekhine private
chess lessons for the fee of 15 rubles each; showing a good sense of humor, he said
afterwards that this could explain some shortcomings in the style of the future
world champion. Alexander had an older brother, Alexei (1888 –1939), who shared
his passion: during the years 1902 – 1904 they played and analyzed together many
correspondence chess games.
Returning to Cuba from mid-1901, Capablanca became a regular visitor of the
Havana Chess Club, rapidly gaining in strength and recognition. Unfortunately,
few games of this period have survived. The one we present, which shows already
some traits of his mature play, was a casual game against José Antonio Blanco, a
strong club player (brother of the even stronger Rafael Blanco, artist by profes-
sion).
20 The Duel

José Antonio Blanco – José Raúl Capablanca

Havana CUB, 21.10.1901
Giuoco Piano [C50]

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4. 0–0 Bc5 XIIIIIIIIY

5.Nc3 d6 6.d3 Bg4 7.Be3 Bb6 9r+-wqk+-tr0
XIIIIIIIIY 9+pzp-+pzpp0
9r+-wqk+-tr0 9p+-zp-+-+0
9zppzp-+pzpp0 9+-+-sn-+n0
9-vlnzp-sn-+0 9-+-+P+-+0
9+-+-zp-+-0 9zP-sN-wQP+-0
9-+L+P+l+0 9-zPP+LzP-zP0
9+-sNPvLN+-0 9+-+-tRR+K0
9PzPP+-zPPzP0 xiiiiiiiiy
9tR-+Q+RmK-0 Black is under pressure.
xiiiiiiiiy
In the Giuoco Piano both players de- 16...Qh4 17.Nd5 Kd7? 18.f4 Ng6
velop their pieces quietly (“piano” in 19.Bxh5 Qxh5 20.Qc3! c6 21.Nb6+
Italian). According to the position Not 21.Qxg7? Qf3+ 22.Kg1 cxd5 and
reached after the opening, White will Black wins.
plan in the middlegame an expan-
sion in the center or a direct attack 21...Kc7 22.Nxa8+ Rxa8 23.e5
on the enemy king. At the turn of the Stronger was 23.f5 Nf4 24.Re3.
19th century the opening was popu-
lar enough – Lasker and Steinitz, for 23...d5 24.Qg3 Qf5 25.Re3
instance, played it six times in their White should play 25.Qg5 Qxf4
world championship matches (1894 26.Qg3.
and 1896).
25...Qxf4 26.Qxf4
8.a3 Ne7 White should play 26.Rf3 Qe4 27.Kg1.
8...Nd4 deserves consideration.
26...Nxf4 27.Rg1 Ne6 28.f4 g6 29.Rf3
9.d4 Bxf3 10.gxf3 Nd4 30.Rf2 Nf5 31.Re1 Kd7 32.Rf3 Ke6
The position is equal. 33.h4 h5 34.Rh3 Ng7 35.Kg2 Kf5 36.Rb3
b5 37.Rc3 Rc8! 38.Kg3 Ne6 39.Rd1 d4
10...Ng6 11.Kh1 exd4 12.Bxd4 Bxd4 40.Rf3 c5 41.c3 Rd8 42.b4
13.Qxd4 a6 14.Rae1 Ne5 15.Be2! Nh5 42.cxd4 cxd4 43.Rb3. The game is
16.Qe3 equal.
ORIGINS AND JUVENILIA 21

42...c4 43.Kf2 dxc3 44.Rxd8 Nxd8 64...Ng4?

45.Kg3? Ke4–+ 46.Rxc3 Kd4 47.Rc1 The right move was 64...f5! 65.Kxh6 f4.
Black must now prevent Rd1+.
65.Kf5 Ne3+ 66.Ke4 Nc4
47...Ne6 48.Kf3 c3 49.Rd1+ Kc4 50.Ke3 Aiming for ...Nd6+.
c2 51.Rc1 Kb3?
Black should try 51...Kc3 52.Rh1 Nd4 67.h6 Nd6+ 68.Kf4!
Hoping for h7.
52.Rf1?
52.Kd3. 68...Kd4 69.h7 Nf7 70.Kf5 Kd5 71.Kxf6
Nh8 72.Kg7 Ke6
52...Kb2 53.Ke4 c1Q 54.Rxc1 Kxc1 Threatening to win with ...Ke7.
55.f5 gxf5+ 56.Kxf5 Nd4+ 57.Kg5 Nf3+
58.Kxh5 Nxe5 59.Kh6 f6 60.h5 Kb2 73.Kf8?
61.Kg7 Ng4 62.Kg6 XIIIIIIIIY
Intending Kf5. 9-+-+-mK-sn0
9+-+-+-+P0
62...Kc3? 9p+-+k+-+0
XIIIIIIIIY 9+p+-+-+-0
9-+-+-+-+0 9-zP-+-+-+0
9+-+-+-+-0 9zP-+-+-+-0
9p+-+-zpK+0 9-+-+-+-+0
9+p+-+-+P0 9+-+-+-+-0
9-zP-+-+n+0 xiiiiiiiiy
9zP-mk-+-+-0 The decisive mistake! 73.Kg8 was nec-
9-+-+-+-+0 essary: 73...Ke7 74.Kg7.
9+-+-+-+-0
xiiiiiiiiy 73...Kf6–+ 74.Ke8 Kg7 75.Kd7 Ng6
62...Kxa3 63.Kf5 Nh6+ 64.Kg6 f5 76.Kc6 Ne5+ 77.Kb6 Nc4+ 0–1
65.Kxh6 f4 Black is winning.
Gradually it became clear that José
63.Kf5= Nh6+ 64.Kg6? Raúl had only one peer on the island,
64.Kxf6 Kd3 65.Kg6. the master Juan Corzo.
22 The Duel

1.3

J uan Corzo y Príncipe (1873 –1941) was born in Madrid on 24 June 1873 but spent
most of his life in Cuba, to which he had moved in the subsequent decade.
Starting with fourth place in the Havana Chess Club Championship of 1896, he
had clinched the title of national champion by the year after and remained one of
the best local players for a long time.
He was also an active chess journalist and organizer, thus contributing sub-
stantially to the knowledge and development of the royal game on the island. As
far as playing style was concerned, he had a good tactical eye and was most dan-
gerous in the middlegame.
The match between Capablanca and Corzo was played in 1901 (not in 1900, as
given by many sources including My Chess Career) and the title of national cham-
pion was not at stake. Victory was to be awarded to the first player to win four
games and the final score appears to be +4 –2 =5 in favor of Capablanca. (After
the fourth win, two further games were played, with one draw and one win for
Corzo.)

Juan Corzo – José Raúl Capablanca

Habana CUB (8), 06.12.1901
Vienna Game [C25]

1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.f4 Black is better.

The purpose of the Vienna Game is XIIIIIIIIY
to play a delayed version of the King’s 9r+l+-vlntr0
Gambit, firstly consolidating the d5- 9zppzp-wqk+-0
square. 9-+n+-+-zp0
9+-+P+-+-0
3...exf4 4.Nf3 g5 5.h4 g4 6.Ng5 h6 9-+-zP-zppzP0
7.Nxf7 Kxf7 8.d4 d5 9.exd5 9+-sN-+-+-0
White should try 9.Bxf4 dxe4 10.Nxe4 9PzPP+-mKP+0
Qxd4 11.Qxd4 Nxd4 12. 0–0–0; 9.Nxd5 9tR-vLQ+L+R0
f3. xiiiiiiiiy
10...g3+ 11.Kg1 Nxd4! 12.Qxd4 Qc5
9...Qe7+! 10.Kf2 13.Ne2 Qb6!