Notable Games
Jose Raul Capablanca
15 celebrated games · 589 in the full archive
◈The games that made the legend
Capablanca – Bernstein · 1911 · 1–0
San Sebastián 1911 — on his international debut Capablanca won the tournament's Rothschild brilliancy prize for this Ruy Lopez win over Ossip Bernstein, who had led the protests against inviting the unknown Cuban. It ends in a king hunt (31.Nxf6+, 34.Qe3+); Capablanca went on to win the tournament outright.
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Bernstein – Capablanca · 1914 · 0–1
Moscow 1914 — the famous thunderbolt. In a level-looking Queen's Gambit Declined, Capablanca (Black) uncorked the quiet 29…Qb2, hitting the rook on c3 and threatening mate on b1, and Ossip Bernstein resigned on the spot.
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Janowski – Capablanca · 1916 · 0–1
New York Rice Memorial 1916 — a patient, entirely technical win with Black over the great attacker Dawid Janowski, the kind of clean endgame grind that earned Capablanca the nickname 'the Human Chess Machine.'
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Capablanca – Marshall · 1918 · 1–0
New York 1918 — Marshall sprang his deeply prepared Marshall Attack of the Ruy Lopez for the first time. Capablanca accepted the pawn, defended with icy precision through the complications, and won — refuting the gambit over the board.
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Capablanca – Fonaroff · 1918 · 1–0
New York 1918 — a jewel of a 22-move miniature finished by a knight combination: 20.Nh6+! and, after 21.Qxe5, the fork 22.Nxf7+ wins the queen.
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Capablanca – Thomas · 1919 · 1–0
Hastings Victory Congress 1919 — from the tournament Capablanca swept with 10½/11, a crisp Ruy Lopez attack that overruns Sir George Thomas in 29 moves.
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Capablanca – Lasker · 1921 · 1–0
Havana 1921 — beating the reigning World Champion in the title match Capablanca won without losing a single game. Meeting Lasker's 9…c5 with the over-the-board find 10.Qc6!, he seized a lasting bind.
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Capablanca – Bogoljubow · 1922 · 1–0
London 1922 — Capablanca won this elite tournament with 13/15 and no losses, 1½ points ahead of Alekhine. Here he grinds down Efim Bogoljubow in a Closed Ruy Lopez and promotes a passed pawn.
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Capablanca – Tartakower · 1924 · 1–0
New York 1924 — perhaps the most celebrated rook endgame ever played. Capablanca sacrifices pawns to activate his king (35.Kg3!), marches it all the way to f6, and the passed g-pawn decides.
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Alekhine – Capablanca · 1927 · 0–1
New York 1927 — at the tournament Capablanca won undefeated, 2½ points clear, he outplays Alekhine with Black in a Queen's Indian, planting 'octopus' knights on b3 and d3 that paralyse White.
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Capablanca – Spielmann · 1927 · 1–0
New York 1927 — Capablanca took the tournament's best-game prize for this crushing 26-move win over Rudolf Spielmann, whose pieces end up trapped behind a rampant passed a-pawn.
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Nimzowitsch – Capablanca · 1927 · 0–1
New York 1927 — a model demonstration of rooks on the seventh: Capablanca (Black) doubles on the second rank with …Rc2 and …Rd2 and overwhelms the arch-strategist Aron Nimzowitsch.
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Capablanca – Treybal · 1929 · 1–0
Karlsbad 1929 — a textbook positional masterpiece. Capablanca gains space on both wings, storms the kingside with g4–g5 and h4–h6, then breaks through with 55.Ba6! to squeeze Karel Treybal to death.
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Capablanca – Steiner · 1933 · 1–0
Los Angeles 1933 — a sparkling 25-move brilliancy: 17.Rxf6! rips open the king and Capablanca hunts it down the board, finishing 25.Qb4# against Herman Steiner.
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Capablanca – Ragozin · 1936 · 1–0
Moscow 1936 — Capablanca, at 47, won this strong tournament a point ahead of Botvinnik; this win over Viacheslav Ragozin is a model of his flawless technique, converting a small edge deep into the endgame.
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