Capablanca's Best Chess Endings

302 Pages·1982·7.62 MB·English

by  Irving Chernev

CAPARLANCAS
BEST CHESS
ENDINGS
. -

CAPABLANCA'S
BEST CHESS
ENDINGS
60 Complete Games
Irving Chernev
Dover Publications, Inc.
New York
This book is dedicated to
my dear wife Selma, with love
Cwrlght @ 1978 by Irvnng Chernev.
AH rughts reserved under Pan Amer~wna nd International Cwrlght Conventuons
Published 4n Canada by General PuMnshcg Company. Ltd . 30 Lesmill Rod. Don MIIIs.
Toronto. Ontarla
Publ~shedIn the Unlted K~ngdomb v Constable and Company. Ltd
Th~sD over edutnon first wbltshed In 1982 IS an unabndgd republlcat~ono f the work
otiglmHy publ~shedb y Oxford Unwerslty Press. Oxford. In 1978 w~lhth e l~rleC apablanca s
Best Chess Endrngs The trontlspleacnrant of CapaUanca In the present edlllm 1s no1t he
same as that In the or~gunael dltlon
lwremar~onalS fandard Bodi Number 0-486-24249-8
Manutactured in the Unrted States of Ameria
Dever PuM~cat~onIsn.c .
180 Varick Street
New York. N Y 10014
Library of Cowreus Cataloging in Publication Data
CapaUanca. Joe Raul. 188&19P2.
Cawblanca's best chess endbngs
Repr~nt Orlglnallv wblrshed Oxford Eog Oxlord Un~versntyP ress 1978
B~bluqraphv p
Incldes Index
1 CheS~-End games 2 Cauablanca Jose Raul 1888.1942 3 Chess-Collect~onsof
games I Chernev. Irvung. 1900- 11 T~rle Ill Trlk Best chess endrrqs
GV1450 7 C34 1982 794 1 24 81-17311
ISBN 0 486-24249-8 AACR2
The accent is on the ending!
The opening of a game is important-and hundreds of books are written on
the opening. The opening leads to the midgame.
The rnidgame is important-and hundreds of books are written on the
midgame. The midgame leads to the endgame.
The endgame is important-and no books are written on the endgame!
Yes, there are books, but they concern themselves with composed endings,
or with theoretical (and for the most part artificial) positions.
The composed endings are admittedly beautiful, but they are of limited
value, as they have no relationship to practical play.
Of the theoretical positions, many have their uses, but one must sift the
wheat from the chaff. To what use can we put such knowledge as the pro-
cedure for mating with a Knight and Bishop, or with the rwo Bishops, when
an opportunity to do so may not occur in a lifetime? And why burden our
minds with the manner of forcing mate with three Knights (believe-it-or-not)
or winning with four minor pieces against a Queen (sans Pawns} when such
positions as these have never yet been seen on land or sea?
Capablanca himself says, 'In order to improve your game, you must
study the endgame before anything else; for whereas the endings can be
studied and mastered by themselves, the middle game and the opening must
be studied in relation to the endgame .'
There are no books on endings from real life, no books from the practice
of masters in actual play, let alone from the practice of a single master.
This fact alone is enough to justify this book of endings, selected from
the tournament and match play of the greatest endgame virtuoso the world
has ever seen-the immortal Capabtanca.
Here are wondrous endings to enchant the reader, endings of breath-
taking artistry.
Here are endings of astonishing accuracy, whose relentless logic wil[
inspire the earnest student to emulate a similar technique-the technique
of seeking a clear-cut, efficient win, instead of a display of fireworks.
The games are given in full, in order to show how a slight advantage,
acquired in the early stages, is carried forward and exploited in the endgame.
I have annotated the endings in detail (a consideration they have rarely
received before) for the better appreciation of the fine points of Capablanca's
play, and have given credit to those who have anticipated my findings.
San Francisco Irving Chernev
And there for an hour, or maybe two, we shall
enter into that rapturous realm where the
Knight prances and the Bishop lurks with his
shining sword, and the Rooks come crashing
through in double file. A. E. Gardimr
Books by Irving Chernev
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Greatest Players of All f irne Practical Chess Endings
Capablanca's Best Chess Endings The Russians Play Chess
Wonders and Curiosities of Chess Winning Chess Traps
The most Instructive Games of An Invitation to Chess (with
Chess ever Played Kenneth Harkness)
Logical Chess, Move by Move The ire side Book of Chess (with
The 1000 Best Short Games of Fred Reinfeldl
Chess Winning Chess {with Fred Reinfeldl
Combinations: the Heart of Chess Chess Strategy and Tactics (with
The Bright Side of Chess Fred Reinfdd)
Chessboard Magic! Curious Chess Facts
Contents
Game 1 Capablanca-Corzo, Havana, 1901 page 1
Ending 1 page 2
Game 2 Capablanca-Corzo, Hauana, 1901 page 4
Ending 2 page 6
Game 3 Marshall-Capablanca, New York, 1909 page 8
Ending3 p w 9
Game 4 Marshall-Capabtanca, New York, 1909 page 12
Ending 4 page 13
Game 5 Capablanca-Krey mbourg, New York, 1910 page 16
Ending 5 page I8
Game 6 Capablanca-Allies, Havana, 1910 page 20
Ending 6 page 22
Game 7 Capablanca-lanowsky, San Sebastian, 191 1 page 23
Ending 7 page 26
Game 8 Leonhardt-Capablanca, San Sebastian, 191 1 page 28
Ending8 page30
Game 9 Carranza-Capablanca, Buenos Aires, 191 1 page 32
Ending9 page34
Game 10 Capablanca-Janowsky, New York, 1913 page 35
Ending10 page37
Game 11 Kline-Capablanca, New York, 1913 page 39
Ending 11 page 40
Game 12 Stapfer-Capablanca, New York, 181 3 p w 4 2
Ending 12 page 44
Game I3 Capablanca-Kupchik, Havana, 1913 page 45
Ending 13 page 46
Game I4 Capabtanca-Beynon, New York, 1913 page 49
Ending14 page51
Game 15 Duras-Capablanca,N ew York, 1913 page 52
Ending15 page54
Game 16 Capablanca-Teichmann, Berlin, 1913 page 56
Ending 16 page 58
Page vii
Contents
Game 17 Capablanca-Salwe & Allies, to&, 1913 pap 60
Ending 17 page 62
Game I8 Nimzowi tsch-Capablanca, Riga, 1913 pap 64
Ending 18 page 66
Game 19 Fahndrich & Kaufmann-Capablanca & Reti, Vienna, 1914
page 69
Ending19 page 71
Game 20 Capablanca-Villegas, Buenos Aires, 1914 pap 73
Ending 20 pap 75
Game 21 Ed. Lasker-Capablanca, New York, 1915 page 77
Ending 21 page 79
Game 22 Capablanca-Black, New York, 1916 page 81
Ending 22 page 84
Game 23 Capablanca-Janowsky, New Y ork, 1916 page 87
Ending 23 pap 88
Game 24 Janowsk y -Capablanca, New York, 1916 page 91
Ending 24 page 94
Game 25 Marshall-Capablanca. New York, 1918 page 96
Ending 25 page 98
Game 26 Capablanca-Kostics, Havana, 1919 page 101
Ending26 page 104
Game 27 Kostics-Capabtanca, Havana, 1919 page 106
Ending 27 page 108
Game 28 Capablanca-Yates, Hastings, 1919 page I 1 1
Ending 28 page 112
Game 29 Winter-Capablanca, Hastings, 1919 page 114
Ending 29 pa@ 115
1
Game 30 Capablanca-Conde, Hastings, 191 9 page 1 17
Ending 30 page 118
Game 31 Capablanca-All ies, London, 1920 page 120
Ending 31 page 122
Game 32 Em. Lasker-Capablanca, Havana, 192 t page 124
Ending32 page 126
Game 33 Morrison-Capablanca, London, 1922 page 130
Ending 33 page 133
Game 34 Capablanca-Bogoly ubov, London, 1922 page 134
Ending 34 page 138
Game 35 Atk ins-Capablanca, London, 1922 page 140
Ending35 page 141
Page viii