Jose Raul Capablanca X SavielyTartakower - New York 1924

In this game Capablanca provides us with a magic formula for conducting Rook and Pawn endings: seize the seventh rank with your Rook, and advance your King to the sixth. Once there, his King and Rook keep the adverse King busy warding off threats of mate, and leave him no time to defend his Pawns.

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Capablanca, Jose Raul–Tartakower, Saviely1–0A85New York6New York1924

1.d4 e6 2.f3 f5 3.c4 f6 4.g5 e7 5.c3 0-0 6.e3 b6 7.d3 b7 8.0-0 LiveBook: 5 Games e8 Customary strategy in the Dutch Defence: Black intends to attack on the King side by 9... Qh5 and 10... Ng4. 9.e2! e4 Tartakover changed his mind 10.xe7 xc3 The position is equal. 11.bxc3 xe7 Now Black could play an unwelcome intrusion move 12... Qa3, but after 12.a4! it is not possible anymore. xf3 13.xf3 c6 14.fb1 ae8 15.h3 After this move Black cannot free himself by 15... e5; 16. Bxf5. White prepares 16.f4, which will assure him the control over e5 square. f6 16.f4! Now the Queen could move back. a5 17.f3 dominating the long diagonal. d6 18.e1 to support a break by 19.e4. d7 19.e4! White opens the position to give his pieces more scope. fxe4 20.xe4 g6 21.g3 White prepares an attack on the King-side by h4 and h5, but with g3 he stabilizes the position. f8 22.g2 f7 23.h4 23.c5 seems wilder. dxc5 24.dxc5 d5 25.cxb6 axb6 26.ad1 23...d5 23...c5 with more complications. 24.dxc5 bxc5 25.ab1 e5 26.fxe5 xe5 27.a8+ g7 24.cxd5 exd5 25.xe8+ xe8 26.xe8+ xe8 Endgame KRB-KRN 27.h5 f6 28.hxg6 hxg6 29.h1 f8 30.h7 c6 31.g4 c4 Black activates his Knight. 32.g5 e3+ 33.f3 f5 34.xf5 gxf5± KR-KR 35.g3! With his Rook at the 7th rank and the g passed Pawn, Capablanca decides to send his King to the f6 square. He must have planned this many moves before. xc3+ 36.h4! f3?

36...a6± was worth a try. 37.g6!+- xf4+ 38.g5 e4

39.f6! Now the King support his Pawn and thretens with mate. White desdained capturing Black´s Pawn, which now acts as protection against check by Black´s Rook. g8 40.g7+ h8 Threatening ...Re6+! 41.xc7 White threatens Rc8+ and mate. e8 42.xf5 e4? 42...a6 43.b7 b5 44.axb5 axb5 45.xb5 f8+ 46.g5 d8 43.f6 White wants to mate with Rc8+. f4+ 44.e5 g4

45.g7+! White is clearly winning. g8 45...xg7 46.xg7 46.xa7 g1 47.xd5 c1 48.d6 c2 49.d5 c1 50.c7 a1 51.c6 Strongly threatening d6. xa4 52.d6 Precision: White = 61%, Black = 35%. 1–0

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