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 is to prevent Black from sacrificing the Rook for the Knight and a Pawn.

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.

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

GAME 12. FRENCH DEFENCE

(New York, 1918)

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

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

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

This is played to prevent P - Q Kt 3, followed by B - Kt 2, which is the general form of development for Black in this variation. If Black now plays 8...P - Q Kt 3; 9. B - Kt 5 ch, B - Q 2; 10. Kt - K 5 and White obtains a considerable advantage in position.

Of course Black could not play P - Q Kt 3 because of B × Kt, followed by Q - K 4.

This weakens Black's King's side. R - K 1 was the right move.

This is merely giving up a Pawn in order to come out quickly with his Q B. But as he does not obtain any compensation for his Pawn, the move is bad. He should have played Q - Q 4 and tried to fight the game out that way. It might have continued thus: 13. Q - B 4, B - Kt 2; 14. Q × B P, B × P; 15. Kt × B, Q × Kt; 16. O - O - O with considerable advantage of position for White. The text move might be considered a mild form of suicide.

In order to keep the Black Queen from coming into the game.

A better plan would have been to play R - K 1, threatening P - K 6.

Of course if B × P; Kt × B, Q × Kt; R - K 3. Black with a Pawn minus fights very hard.

The Pawn had now to be defended after Black's last move, because after B × P; Kt × B, Q × Kt; R - K 3, Black could now play Q - Kt 1 defending the Rook.

White's plan now is to fix the Queen's side in order to be able to manœuvre freely on the other side, where he has the advantage of material.

Black sees that he now stands in his best defensive position, and therefore waits for White to show how he intends to break through. He notices, of course, that the White Knight is in the way of the K B P, which cannot advance to K B 4 to defend, or support rather, the Pawn at K 5.

Black persists in waiting for developments. He sees that if P - K R 5, P × P; P × P, the Queen goes to R 6, and White will have to face serious difficulties. In this situation White decides that the only course is to bring his King to K Kt 3, so as to defend the squares K R 3 and K Kt 4, where the Black Queen might otherwise become a source of annoyance.

Now that he has completed his march with the King, White is ready to advance.

39...P - K Kt 4 would be answered by Q - B 5, with a winning game.

Against K - Kt 1; White would play Q - Kt 4, practically forcing the exchange of Queens, after which White would have little trouble in winning the ending, since Black's Bishop could not do much damage in the resulting position.

Black overlooks the force of 42 R - Q 7. His best defence was R - Q 1; against which White could either advance the King or play Kt - R 4, threatening Kt - Kt 6 ch.

This loses a piece, but Black's position was altogether hopeless.

The interest of this game centres mainly on the opening and on the march of the White King during the final stage of the game. It is an instance of the King becoming a fighting piece, even while the Queens are still on the board.

GAME 13. RUY LOPEZ

(New York, 1918)

White: J. S. Morrison.          Black: J. R. Capablanca.

In this form of defence of the Ruy Lopez the development of the K B via Kt 2 is, I think, of great importance. The Bishop at Kt 2 exerts great pressure along the long diagonal. At the same time the position of the Bishop and Pawns in front of the King, once it is Castled, is one of great defensive strength. Therefore, in this form of development, the Bishop, we might say, exerts its maximum strength (Compare this note with the one in the Capablanca-Burn game at San Sebastian, page 197.)

Of course not K Kt - K 2; because of Kt - Q 5. The alternative would have been P - B 3; to be followed by K Kt - K 2; but in this position it is preferable to have the Kt at K B 3.

An error of judgment. White wants to keep the Knight pinned, but it was more important to prevent Black from Castling immediately. B - K B 4 would have done this.

Bold play, but again faulty judgment, unless he intended to play to win or lose, throwing safety to the winds. The Black Bishop at Kt 2 becomes a very powerful attacking piece. The strategical disposition of the Black pieces is now far superior to White's, therefore it will be Black who will take the offensive.

White wanted to keep his Q R on the open file, and consequently brings over his other Rook to the centre to defend his K P, which Black threatened to win by P - K Kt 4, followed by Kt × P.

Now that the K R is in the centre, Black can safely advance, since, in order to attack on the King's side, White would have to shift his Rooks, which he cannot do so long as Black keeps up the pressure in the centre.

Uncovering the Bishop, which now acts along the long diagonal, and at the same time preventing P - K 5, which would be answered by Kt × B; P × Kt, Kt × P; etc., winning a Pawn.

Black drives the Bishop away so as to unpin his pieces and be able to manœuvre freely.

Preparing the onslaught. Black's pieces begin to bear against the King's position.

With the last move White not only blocks the action of Black's K B, but he also aims at placing his Bishop at Q Kt 1 and his Queen at Q B 2, and then advancing his K P, to check at K R 7.

Initiating an attack to which there is no reply, and which has for its ultimate object either the winning of the White Q B or cutting it off from the game. (Compare this game with the Winter-Capablanca game at Hastings.)

The Bishop is now out of action. White naturally counter attacks violently against the seemingly exposed position of the Black King, and, with very good judgment, even offers the Bishop.

Taking the Bishop would be dangerous, if not actually bad, while the text move accomplishes Black's object, which is to put the Bishop out of action.

This move unquestionably loses time. Since he would have to retire his Bishop to R 2 sooner or later, he might have done it immediately. It is doubtful, however, if at this stage of the game it would be possible for White to save the game.

It was difficult to decide which way to retake. I took with the Rook in order to have it prepared for a possible attack against the King.

Now that the White Bishop has been driven back, Black wants to get rid of White's strongly posted Knight at Q 5, which blocks the attack of the Bishop at B 2. It may be said that the Knight at Q 5 is the key to White's defence.

White strives not only to have play for his Bishop, but also he wants to break up Black's Pawns in order to counter-attack. The alternative would have been 23 Kt × Kt ch, Q × Kt; and Black would be threatening R - R 4, and also Q - K 3. The student should notice that Black's drawback in all this is the fact that he is playing minus the services of his Q R. It is this fact that makes it possible for White to hold out longer.

Kt - Kt 4 was the alternative, but in any event White could not resist the attack. I leave it to the reader to work this out for himself, as the variations are so numerous that they would take up too much space.

This forces the King to the corner, where he will be in a mating net.

Now at last the Q R enters into the game and soon the battle is over.

If R × P, R - K 8 ch; R - Q 1, R (K 1) - K 7.

the quickest way to finish the game.

A very lively game.

GAME 14. QUEEN'S GAMBIT DECLINED

(New York, 1918)

White: F. J. Marshall.          Black: J. R. Capablanca.

This is one of the oldest systems of defence against the Queen's Gambit. I had played it before in this Tournament against Kostic, and no doubt Marshall expected it. At times I change my defences, or rather systems of defence; on the other hand, during a Tournament, if one of them has given me good results, I generally play it all the time.

This is the key to this system of defence. Having simplified the game considerably by a series of exchanges, Black will now develop his Q B along the long diagonal without having created any apparent weakness. The proper development of the Q B is Black's greatest problem in the Queen's Gambit.