Annotated chess game: Self Analysis

ANNOTATED GAME

Self Analysis
J. R. Capablanca vs. E. A. Znosko-Borovskii
Annotated by: last_archimedean

(1564)
Chess opening: French (C12), MacCutcheon, Bogolyubov variation

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Mr. Capablanca himself was kind enough to annotate and publish this game. All the annotations are by him.

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Bb4	This constitutes the McCutcheon Variation. Instead of defending, Black counter-attacks on the Q side. It leads to highly interesting games.



5. exd5	At the time this game was played the variation 5 P - K 5 was in vogue, but I consider this move to be stronger.
	1 comment archduke_piccolo (2332) on 11-Aug-25: I rather think I would prefer 5.e5 h6 6.Bd2 Bxc3 7.bxc3...


5... Qxd5	This move has as its object the disruption of White's Q side.



6. Bxf6 Bxc3+ 7. bxc3 gxf6 8. Nf3 b6	Black plans to post his Bishop on the long diagonal, plant a Rook on the K Kt file and attack the castled position of White's King, on the assumption White will castle on the K side.
	2 comments nuntar (1702) on 15-Jul-25: White's 8th may be an inaccuracy; book is 8. Q-Q2. archduke_piccolo (2332) on 11-Aug-25: Also interesting would have been 8.Qg4 (Q-N4).


9. Qd2 Bb7 10. Be2 Nd7 11. c4 Qf5 12. O-O-O	White counters Black's aim at the K side by castling on the Q side.
	1 comment archduke_piccolo (2332) on 11-Aug-25: So far the game seems to be fairly even.


12... O-O-O 13. Qe3 Rhg8 14. g3 Qa5	Overlooking White's reply.
	1 comment archduke_piccolo (2332) on 11-Aug-25: I don't believe that Black has missed anything significant enough to change the shape or direction of the game. Still fairly balanced, by the look, after, say, 15.Rd3 Rg4, threatening ...Re4 (15.R-Q3 R-N5 wti ...R-K5).


15. Rd3 Kb8 16. Rhd1 Qf5 17. Nh4	This puts the Knight out of play for a few moves, but also puts the Black Queen out of play.
	1 comment archduke_piccolo (2332) on 11-Aug-25: Now, were Black to play 17...Qa4, White has 17.Ra3 Qb4 18.Rb3 Qa4, whereat White can take the draw by repetition, or try for more with 19.Kb2, to bring the other rook into Q-side action.


17... Qg5 18. f4 Qg7 19. Bf3	To eliminate Black's fianchettoed Bishop, an excellent defensive piece.
	1 comment archduke_piccolo (2332) on 11-Aug-25: A series of more or less 'forcing' moves has yielded White an edge: more active, centralised pieces, and a strong centre.


19... Rge8 20. Bxb7 Kxb7 21. c5 c6	White was threatening P - B 6 ch.



22. Nf3 Qf8	It is evident that White has a great advantage of position.
	1 comment archduke_piccolo (2332) on 11-Aug-25: I reckon!


23. Nd2	23 R - Kt 3 was the correct move.
	2 comments nuntar (1702) on 15-Jul-25: My silicon friend gives the move played as best (+2.00) and 23. R-N3 as only +0.60. archduke_piccolo (2332) on 11-Aug-25: Methinks the great Capablanca was overcritical of his play, post mortem. His over the board instincts were the right ones: the knight move was fine.


23... bxc5 24. Nc4	24 Kt - K 4 would have brought about an end game favorable to White.
	2 comments nuntar (1702) on 15-Jul-25: After 24. N-K4 Black can avoid the simplification to an endgame by 24... P-B5! 25. R-B3 N-N3. Note that this doesn't lose a pawn because after 26. NxP? Black plays 26... N-Q4 with a great position. archduke_piccolo (2332) on 11-Aug-25: Again, 24.Nc4 was indeed the right move. One forms the impression that, having lost this game, Capablanca cast about for an explanation why or how he blew a winning advantage. Yep: that is the correct evaluation of this position: White has a winning game. His over-the-board judgement hasn't failed him... yet!


24... Nb6 25. Na5+ Ka8 26. dxc5 Nd5 27. Qd4 Rdc8	If 27... R - Kt 1, White wins with 28 Kt x P R (Kt 1) - B 1 29 Kt x P.
	1 comment archduke_piccolo (2332) on 11-Aug-25: Possibly White ought to have, for the time being, kept his queen off the d-file. Instead, 27.Qf2 would have kept watch and ward over c5, and threatened 28.c4, to drive the knight off the d5-square.


28. c4	28 Kt - B 4 was better.
	1 comment archduke_piccolo (2332) on 11-Aug-25: 28.Nc4 would have set the knight's course for the d6-square. But a refinement might have been 28.Rb3 Rc7 29.Nc4 Rb8(!?) 30.Nd6.


28... e5 29. Qg1 e4 30. cxd5 exd3 31. d6	I thought this Pawn would win me the game.
	2 comments nuntar (1702) on 15-Jul-25: Instead 31. NxP and the evaluation is a drawn endgame. archduke_piccolo (2332) on 11-Aug-25: Maybe. 31.Nxc6 Re4 32.Rxd3 Qe8 33.Qg2 Re1+ 34.Kd2 Rb1 ... and Black's major piece attack at least keeps White on the defensive for a long time to come.


31... Re2 32. d7 Rc2+ 33. Kb1 Rb8+ 34. Nb3 Qe7	The position is most interesting.
	2 comments nuntar (1702) on 15-Jul-25: 32. P-Q7 was a losing mistake (correct was RxP). archduke_piccolo (2332) on 11-Aug-25: White was over-pressing at move 32, trying to force something out of the position that wasn't there to be forced. Black's immediate reply wasn't the best (32...Rd8 was quite effective enough), but still good enough for a winning advantage.


35. Rxd3	I believe this move cost me my last chance to win the game, and if that is so, it would vindicate my judgment when I played 28 P - B 4. If I play 35 Q - Q 4! instead, after 35... R x K R P 36 Q x Q P! R - Q 1 37 Q - R 6 K - Kt 1 38 Q x B P and White will have at least a draw.
	2 comments nuntar (1702) on 15-Jul-25: Capa's analysis line is drawn, but after 35. Q-Q4 Black can improve by 35... Q-K7! 36. QxQP R-N7ch 37. K-B1 R-Q1 and after the exchange of queens, White's QP will fall. archduke_piccolo (2332) on 11-Aug-25: I am surprised Capa didn't see beyond 35...Rxh2 in his analysis. But even the strongest of masters occasionally permitted themselves rather shallow analyses.


35... Re2 36. Qd4 Rd8 37. Qa4 Qe4 38. Qa6 Kb8	There is nothing to be done about this simple move. White cannot play 39 Kt - Q 4, as 39... Q - R 8 ch forces mate.
	2 comments nuntar (1702) on 15-Jul-25: White's last chance to complicate matters lay in 37. Q-Q6 QxQ 38. PxQ. archduke_piccolo (2332) on 11-Aug-25: Methinks White is trying for a swindle...


39. Kc1 Rxd7 40. Nd4 Re1+	White resigns. A very interesting battle.
	2 comments nuntar (1702) on 15-Jul-25: Mate in 13, according to the machine. (I hope no-one minds that I asked it for assistance with these comments; this game is far above my level and I would not be able to analyse it on my own!) archduke_piccolo (2332) on 11-Aug-25: I doubt if either side saw the 'Mate in 13'. It is sufficient that, wherever the WK goes, Black has 41.Kb2(say) Rxd4 42.Rb3+ Rb4 Forced, but why worry? Black is now a rook ahead, and a pair of them are coming off. White had a fine game, and a good plan that he wrongly criticised in the post mortem. Possibly he thought the plan to have been mistaken even during the course of the game, when the wheels were falling off. But it was a couple of mistakes at the moment he had everything to play for that finally wrecked his game.