[Event "New York Manhattan CC"]
[Site "New York"]
[Date "1918.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Capablanca, Jose Raul"]
[Black "Marshall, Frank James"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C89"]
[WhiteElo "2699"]
[BlackElo "2554"]
[Annotator ""]
[PlyCount "79"]
[EventDate "1918.10.23"]
[EventType "tourn"]
[EventRounds "12"]
[EventCountry "USA"]
{The Players José Raúl Capablanca (1888-1942) is one of the legends in
chess history. Born in Cuba, he learned chess at the age of four and gave due
notice of his talent when, barely a teenager, he defeated Corzo, who won the
national championship in the same year, in an informal match. Capablanca was
educated in America, and spent much of his free time playing masters at the
Manhattan Chess Club. Even in his younger days it was obvious to everyone that
Capablanca was a natural-born chess player. Positionally and in the endgame he
had no equal, but as his countless wins against other tacticians show, he was
also at home in highly complex positions. At one stage of his career
Capablanca lost only one tournament game in ten years, which gave him an aura
of invincibility. It came as absolutely no surprise when, in Havana during
1921, he finally met with Lasker and took the world title, without losing a
single game. Frank Marshall (1877–1944) was one the world’s leading
players in the first quarter of the twentieth century. Born in New York, he
learned chess at the age of 10 and soon decided to become a professional
player – then a relatively rare breed. By 1904, when he won a tournament
ahead of the World Champion Lasker, he was certainly one of the ten leading
players in the world. Marshall’s aggressive tactical style was well suited
to tournament play but it was noticeable that he scored very poorly against
the absolutely top players, such as Lasker and Capablanca. Perhaps because of
this, he was not regarded as a possible world championship contender. Marshall
continued to play successfully until the late 1920s, but even when advancing
years started to take their toll he played regularly and enthusiastically. In
the entertaining book Frank J. Marshall’s Best Games of Chess (1942) he
wrote “I started when I was ten years old and I am still going strong. In
all that time I don’t believe a day has gone by that I have not played at
least one game of chess – and I still enjoy it as much as ever.” The words
of a man who loved chess. Marshall was not a great opening theoretician, but
two of his gambit lines are still mainstream openings today. One is the
Marshall Gambit in the Semi-Slav (1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c6 4. e4 dxe4 5.
Nxe4 Bb4+ 6. Bd2 Qxd4) and the other is the famous Marshall Attack, for which
see the game below. The Game The story behind this game makes it one of the
most famous in chess history. Marshall had prepared a surprising new attacking
line on the black side of the Ruy Lopez (in fact there had been a few isolated
games with it before, but it is not clear whether Marshall knew of these
earlier examples). Capablanca, against whom Marshall had a dreadful score, was
the ideal opponent on whom to spring the surprise (as an aside, the
oft-repeated story that Marshall saved up his idea for eight years seems a
distinct exaggeration). Capablanca accepted the sacrifice, but had to weather
a vicious attack against an opponent who had prepared the whole line at home.
Almost miraculously, Capablanca found his way through the complications and
won the game. Despite this inauspicious start, the Marshall Attack is today
regarded as one of Black’s main defences against the Ruy Lopez.} 1. e4 e5 2.
Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. c3 d5 $3 {
A moment frozen in time and enshrined in the forever. Marshall introduces his
deadly Ruy Lopez gambit which lives on well after his own death. To this day
nobody has come close to refuting it and virtually every Lopez player in the
world top ten embraces Marshall's side.} 9. exd5 Nxd5 10. Nxe5 Nxe5 11. Rxe5 {
So we have a standard Ruy Lopez Marshall Gambit – except this is the first one
ever played! Malice often takes cover behind a sweet smile. I believe it was
Edward Lasker who wrote that Marshall hid his opening secret for nearly a
decade, lying in wait for Capa, his would-be victim. We chess players are a
devious lot. Who among us may claim an unsullied conscience or clean hands
when it comes to opening preparation, the nature of which is to confuse and
deceive? The fact that Capablanca survived a sound attacking line, nine years
in the brewing, is an astounding testament to his phenomenal defensive skills.}
Nf6 {The old school line.} ({Today, virtually everyone plays} 11... c6 {
, where Marshall's gambit has successfully withstood the test of nearly a
century of theory.}) 12. Re1 Bd6 13. h3 {Preventing ...Ng4.} Ng4 $5 {QUESTION:
Hey, you just said "preventing ...Ng4" didn't you? ANSWER: Oops, mea slight
culpa! Let's answer your question with a question/exercise. EXERCISE: The
obvious question we ask ourselves: Can we take the gift knight, or should we
exercise caution with a move like Qf3 instead?} {ANSWER: The knight is
poisoned.} 14. Qf3 $1 (14. hxg4 $6 Qh4 15. f3 ({or} 15. Qf3 $2 Bh2+ $1 16. Kf1
Bxg4 17. Qe4 Bf4 $1 {, when those evil bishops whisper to each other in tones
so faint, only they can hear}) 15... Bb7 16. d4 Rfe8 {gives Black a decisive
attack.}) 14... Qh4 15. d4 {.} ({Of course} 15. hxg4 $2 {transposes to the
previous note after} Bh2+ $1 {.}) 15... Nxf2 $1 {The knight, giddy and lost in
reverie, enters without thought of exit. Marshall, who wore such attacks as a
badge of office, subscribed to the philosophy/prayer: "Lord, help me behave.
But not just yet!" The pesky knight continues to foster dissent and division
in White's camp, warning of hellfire, as a preacher would to his frightened
congregation – or so he hopes. Marshall aims to keep his attack flowing with
that vital lubricant: Blood! However, the knight's bluster fails to intimidate
Capa, whose next move is icily cool under fire. Instead:} ({a)} 15... h5 16.
Re2 Bh2+ 17. Kh1 Rb8 18. Bxf7+ $1 (18. Re8 $1 {is even stronger}) 18... Kh8 19.
Qd5 {is horribly complicated but in White's favour, J.Smeets-L.Perdomo, Kochin
2004.}) ({b)} 15... Bh2+ 16. Kf1 Bd6 17. Bf4 Bb7 18. Qxg4 Qxg4 19. hxg4 Bxf4
20. g3 Bd6 21. Nd2 {and Black failed to get full compensation for the pawn,
namely because the queens came off the board, A.Mori-J.Vozda, correspondence
2005.}) 16. Re2 $1 {Health is a higher priority than money. The rook, eyes
sparkling with mockery, asks the presumptuous knight where it will go now.
Capa stated the obvious when he wrote: "I repeatedly demonstrated during the
course of the match, in repulsing Marshall's onslaughts." As Muhammad Ali once
said: "It's not bragging if you back it up!"} ({The computer line,} 16. Re3 $1
{, covering h3 sacs is also possible and favours White.}) ({QUESTION: Why
isn't White taking that hanging rook on a8? ANSWER: Mate takes precedence over
greed: a)} 16. Qxa8 $4 Nxh3+ $1 {mates in seven moves.}) ({b)} 16. Qxf2 $6 Bh2+
$1 (16... Bg3 $4 17. Qxf7+ {and it is Black who walks into mate}) 17. Kf1 Bg3
18. Qd2 Bxh3 $1 {is not so clear.}) 16... Bg4 $5 {QUESTION: What do we do if
Black sacs his bishop on h3?} ({ANSWER: White should be able to defend after
the tempting} 16... Bxh3 17. gxh3 Nxh3+ 18. Kf1 {. Your suggestion may be
Black's best line but should still work out in White's favour since his king
is relatively safe.}) 17. hxg4 Bh2+ 18. Kf1 Bg3 19. Rxf2 ({QUESTION: Isn't} 19.
Re3 {stronger? ANSWER:} Qh1+ 20. Ke2 Qxc1 21. Qxg3 Nd1 $1 {isn't so clear.})
19... Qh1+ 20. Ke2 {EXERCISE (critical decision): How would you defend as
White after} Bxf2 {?} ({White consolidates after} 20... Rae8+ $2 21. Be3) ({or
} 20... Qxc1 $2 21. Bxf7+ $1 Kh8 22. Qxg3 Qxb2+ 23. Nd2 Qxa1 24. Rf1 $1 Qb2 25.
Qd3 $1 {(White threatens to sac his queen on h7 and deliver mate)} h6 (25... g6
26. Qe3 $1 {and Black is helpless since he has no good way to cover the check
on e5}) 26. g5 {with a winning attack.}) {ANSWER: Cover the critical e1-square.
Capa defends with delicate precision.} 21. Bd2 $3 ({After the automatic} 21.
Qxf2 $2 Qxc1 22. Kd3 {follows} c5 $1 {and all of a sudden White's exposed king
feels an urgent need to recite the Lord's prayer.}) 21... Bh4 22. Qh3 Rae8+ {
QUESTION: Isn't White dead here? His king is on the run in the middle of the
board, and his rook and knight are frozen on their original squares. ANSWER:
On the run for now. The destination is c2, where he will be safe, mainly due
to an absence of light-square power on Black's side. Capa even manages to free
his queenside pieces, though that is another story.} 23. Kd3 Qf1+ 24. Kc2 {
Live long and prosper! The king, after a harrowing journey, now feels much
better arriving on c2.} Bf2 25. Qf3 Qg1 26. Bd5 $1 {Centralizing, as well as
clearing the way for b2-b4 and Kb2, if necessary.} c5 27. dxc5 Bxc5 28. b4 Bd6
{EXERCISE (planning): The king looks safe for the moment but White still has
one huge obstacle to overcome: How to develop the a1-rook?} {ANSWER: Open the
a-file. The ancient creature, dormant for millennia, begins to stir in the pit
from a1.} 29. a4 $1 a5 $5 {A good practical move. Marshall strains to pry open
the queenside. Still, it falls short.} 30. axb5 axb4 31. Ra6 {This rook, for
so long shrouded in the shadow regions on a1, finally emerges.} bxc3 32. Nxc3 {
Game over. QUESTION: Why? Isn't White's king exposed? ANSWER: 1. White's
formally sleeping pieces emerge to excellent squares. 2. The king, seemingly
exposed, is in no danger. 3. White exerts pressure on f7. 4. His passed b-pawn
is ready to march forward.} Bb4 33. b6 Bxc3 34. Bxc3 h6 35. b7 {Forever
eliminating ...Rc8.} Re3 {EXERCISE: (combination alert): White to play and
deliver checkmate.} {ANSWER: EXERCISE (calculation): Let's visualize all the
mating lines without moving the pieces. Ready? Here we go. ANSWER:} 36. Bxf7+
$1 Rxf7 ({if} 36... Kh8 37. Rxh6#) ({or} 36... Kh7 37. Qf5+ Kh8 38. Rxh6#) 37.
b8=Q+ Kh7 38. Rxh6+ $1 Kxh6 39. Qh8+ Kg5 40. Qh5# {I can't imagine any other
player in the world at that time, except possibly Lasker, who would have
survived Marshall's assault without exam prep. Lessons from this game: 1)
Believe in your own abilities and have the confidence to face up to challenges.
2) When defending, developing your pieces is usually more important than
grabbing material. 3) Capablanca really was a genius!} 1-0
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