Black has come out of the opening with a Pawn to the good. His development, however, has suffered somewhat, and there are Bishops of opposite colour, so that it cannot be said as yet, that Black has a won game; but he has certainly the best of the position, because, besides being a Pawn to the good, he threatens White's K P, which must of course be defended, and this in turn will give him the opportunity to post his Knight at Q 4 via K 2. When the Black Knight is posted at Q 4, the Bishop will be developed to B 3 via Q 2, as soon as the opportunity presents itself, and it will be Black that will then have the initiative, and can consequently decide the course of the game.

To prevent Kt - K 2; which would be answered by Kt × P, or still better by B - R 3. The move, however, is strategically wrong, since by bringing his pieces to the Queen's side, White loses any chance he might have of making a determined attack on the King's side before Black is thoroughly prepared for it.

Better would have been P - Q R 4, in order to play B - R 3. The White B would be much better posted on the open diagonal than here, where it acts purely on the defensive.

This Knight completely paralyses the attack, as it dominates the whole situation, and there is no way to dislodge it. Behind it Black can quietly develop his pieces. The game can now be said to be won for Black strategically.

In order to pin the Knight and be ready to come back to either K 2 or B 1. Also to prevent Q R - Kt 1. In reality nearly all these precautions are unnecessary, since White's attack amounts to nothing. Probably Black should have left aside all these considerations, and played Q - R 5 now, in order to follow it up with P - B 4, as he did later, but under less favourable circumstances.

Not the best, as White will soon prove. Q - B 1 would have avoided everything, but Black wants to assume the initiative at once and plunges into complications. However, as will soon be seen, the move is not a losing one by any means.

This wins the Queen.

The position looks most interesting. I thought it would be possible to get up such an attack against the White King as to make it impossible for him to hold out much longer, but I was wrong, unless it could have been done by playing B - B 3 first, forcing P - Kt 3 and then playing K - R 4. I followed a similar plan, but lost a very important move by playing Q R - K Kt 1; which gave White time to play R - Q 1. I am convinced, however, that B - B 3 at once was the right move. White would be forced to play P - Kt 3, and Black would reply with either K - R 4; as already indicated, which looks the best (the plan, of course, is to play R - K R 1; and follow it up with K - Kt 5; threatening mate, or some other move according to circumstances. In some cases, of course, it will be better first to play K - Kt 5), or Kt - K 5, which will at least give him a draw. There are so many possibilities in this position that it would be impossible to give them all. It will be worth the reader's time to go carefully through the lines of play indicated above.

As stated B - B 3 was the best move.

The plan, of course, as explained above, is to go to Kt 5 in due time and threaten mate at K R 8, but it is now too late, the White Rook having come in time to prevent the manœuvre. Instead of the text move, therefore, Black should have played Kt - K 5; which would have given him a draw at the very least. After the text moves the tables are turned. It is now White who has the upper hand, and Black who has to fight for a draw.

Kt - K 5 was still the right move, and probably the last chance Black had to draw against White's best play.

Kt × Q; R × R, Kt × P was no better.

Most players will be wondering, as the spectators did, why I did not resign. The reason is that while I knew the game to be lost, I was hoping for the following variation, which Chajes came very near playing: 51 Q × P ch, K - R 2; 52 Q - R 5, R × P; 53 B - Kt 5 ch, K - Kt 2; 54 B × R ch, K × B; and while White has a won game it is by no means easy. If the reader does not believe it, let him take the White pieces against a master and see what happens. My opponent, who decided to take no chances, played 51 B - Kt 7, and finally won as shown below.

and after a very few more moves Black resigned.

A very fine game on Chajes' part from move 25 on, for while Black, having the best of the position, missed several chances, White, on the other hand, missed none.

GAME 7. RUY LOPEZ

(San Sebastian, 1911)

White: J. R. Capablanca.          Black: A. Burn

This is a very solid development, to which I was much addicted at the time, because of my ignorance of the multiple variations of the openings.

In this variation there is the alternative of developing this Bishop via Kt 2, after P - K Kt 3.

Evidently to make room for the Queen at K 2, but I do not think the move advisable at this stage. B - K 3 is a more natural and effective move. It develops a piece and threatens B - B 5, which would have to be stopped.

Now it is not so effective, because White's Q B is out, and the Knight, in going to K 3 to defend the square Q B 4, does not block the Q B.

This is bad. Black's game was already not good. He probably had no choice but to take the Knight with the Bishop before making this move.

in order to bring it to Q 2, to support the other Knight and also his King's Pawn. White, however, does not allow time for this, and by taking advantage of his superior position is able to win a Pawn.

Since he had no way to prevent the loss of a Pawn, he should have given it up where it is, and played Q Kt - Q 2, in order to make his position more solid. The text move not only loses a Pawn, but leaves Black's game very much weakened.

With a Pawn more and all his pieces ready for action, while Black is still backward in development, it only remains for White to drive home his advantage before Black can come out with his pieces, in which case, by using the open K R file, Black might be able to start a strong attack against White's King. White is able by his next move to eliminate all danger.

This is practically forced. Black could not play P - Kt 3 because of B × P, and White meanwhile threatened Q - R 8 ch followed by Kt - B 5 ch and Q × P.

Black must lose time assuring the safety of this Pawn.

Black fights a hopeless battle. He is two Pawns down for all practical purposes, and the Pawns he has are isolated and have to be defended by pieces.

White threatened Kt × B, followed by R - B 7 ch.

If R × R P; Kt × B of course would win a piece

GAME 8. CENTRE GAME

(Berlin 1913)

White: J. Mieses.          Black: J. R. Capablanca.

In this position, instead of the text move, P - Q 3 is often played in order to develop the Q B. My idea was to exert sufficient pressure against the K P to win it, and thus gain a material advantage, which would, at least, compensate whatever slight advantage of position White might have. The plan, I think, is quite feasible, my subsequent difficulties being due to faulty execution of the plan.

White's threat to regain the Pawn was merely with the idea of gaining time to develop his pieces. Black could have played P - Q 3; opening the way for his Q B, when would have followed, 11 B - Q 3, R - K 1; 12 Kt - B 3, and White would soon start a powerful direct attack against Black's King. With the text move Black aims at taking the initiative away from White in accordance with the principles laid down in this book.

If B × P, P - Q 3; and White's Bishop would be completely shut off, and could only be extricated, if at all, with serious loss of position. The text move aims at quick development to keep the initiative.

This now is not only a developing move, but it also threatens to win a piece by B × Kt.

This complicates the game unnecessarily. R - K 1; was simple, and perfectly safe.

This is a serious mistake. The position was most interesting, and though in appearance dangerous for Black, not so in reality. The right move would have been 13...R - Kt 5, when we would have 14 B × Kt, R × B; 15 P - Q B 3, B × P; 16 P × B, R - K Kt 5; 17 Q - K 3 (best), Q × P ch; 18 B - B 2, Q × Q; 19 P × Q, R × P, and Black has the best of the game with four Pawns for a Knight, besides the fact that all the White Pawns are isolated.

There was nothing better.

Q × Q would have given White a decided advantage, enough to win with proper play. Mieses, however, feared the difficulties of an ending where, while having the exchange, he would be a Pawn minus. He preferred to keep the Queens on the board and keep up the attack. At first sight, and even after careful thought, there seems to be no objection to his plan; but in truth such is not the case. From this point the game will gradually improve in Black's favour until, with the exchange ahead, White is lost.

My plan for the moment is very simple. It will consist in bringing my Bishop around to B 3. Then I shall try to paralyse White's attack against my King by playing P - K R 3, and also prevent White from ever playing P - K Kt 5. Once my King is safe from attack I shall begin to advance my Queen's side Pawns, where there are four to three; and that advantage, coupled with the enormous attacking power of my Bishop at B 3, will at least assure me an even chance of success.

To prevent P - K R 4, which I would answer with P - K Kt 3, winning the Queen. It can now be considered that my King is safe from attack. White will have to withdraw his Queen via R 3, and Black can use the time to begin his advance on the Queen's side.

Notice that, on assuming the defensive, White has placed his Rooks correctly from the point of view of strategy. They are both on white squares free from the possible attack of the Black Bishop.

This gains time by attacking the Rook and holding the White Q at R 3 for the moment, on account of the K Kt P. Besides, the Queen must be in the middle of the fray now that the attack has to be brought home. White has actually more value in material, and therefore Black must utilise everything at his command in order to succeed.

threatening P - Kt 5; which would open the line of action of the Bishop and also secure a passed Pawn.

indirectly defending the Q P, which White cannot take on account of Q × R ch.

The attack increases in force as it is gradually brought home directly against the King. The position now is most interesting and extremely difficult. It is doubtful if there is any valid defence against Black's best play. The variations are numerous and difficult.