[Event "International Chess Master's Tournament"]
[Site "New York"]
[Date "1924.??.??"]
[Round ""]
[White "José Raúl Capablanca"]
[Black "Savielly Tartakower"]
[Result "1-0"]
[EventDate "1924.??.??"]


{Capablanca's play in the game that follows provides us with a magic 
formula for conducting rook and pawn endgames: seize the seventh rank with
your rook, and advance your king to the sixth!
Capablanca gives up a couple of valuable pawns to get his king and rook 
onto the key squares. Once there, they keep the adverse king busy warding 
off threats of mate, and leave him no time to defend his pawns. Four of 
these pawns fall victim in half-a-dozen moves, after which resistance is 
hopless.
Capa's clear-cut, methodical play is so easy to understand that the whole 
ending is a marvellous piece of instruction, and a thing of beauty as 
well.} 
	   1.	d4    	f5    
	   2.	Nf3   	e6    
	   3.	c4    	Nf6   
	   4.	Bg5   	Be7   
	   5.	Nc3   	O-O   
	   6.	e3    	b6    
	   7.	Bd3   	Bb7   
	   8.	O-O   	Qe8   
    {Black evidently intends to attack on the king-side by 9...Qh5 and 
    10...Ng4 - customary strategy in the Dutch Defence.}

	   9.	Qe2!  
    {This move makes Tartakower change his mind, since 9...Qh5 is met by 
    10.e4, and White's centre is imposing.}
	   9.	...        	Ne4   
	  10.	Bxe7  	Nxc3  
	  11.	bxc3  	Qxe7  
    {The exchanges have left White with a doubled c-pawn. In compensation 
    for this weakness, the b-file has been opened and is available to his 
    rooks.}

	  12.	a4!   
    {A clever preventive move! It stops an unwelcome instrusion by 
    12...Qa3, and also prepares to meet 12...Nc6 with 13.Rfb1, and if then
    13...Na5 14.c5 undoubles the pawns by force, since the continuation 
    14...bxc5 15.Rb5 is to White's advantage.}
	  12.	...        	Bxf3  
	  13.	Qxf3  	Nc6   
	  14.	Rfb1  	Rae8  
	  15.	Qh3   
    {Another preventive move. Black cannot free himself by 15...e5 as 
    16.Bxf5 would follow. The queen's move also makes it possible for 
    White to play 16.f4, giving him a grip on the square e5.}
	  15.	...        	Rf6   
	  16.	f4!   	Na5   
	  17.	Qf3   
    {The queen returns to f3, to dominate the long diagonal.}
	  17.	...        	d6    
	  18.	Re1   
    {Having done its work on the b-file, the rook moves to the centre, to 
    support a break by 19.e4.}
	  18.	...        	Qd7 D 
	  19.	e4!   
    {White opens up the position to give his pieces more scope.}
	  19.	...        	fxe4  
	  20.	Qxe4  	g6    
	  21.	g3    
    {White stablises his position with this move and the next, before 
    starting an attack on the king-side by h4 and h5.}
	  21.	...        	Kf8   
	  22.	Kg2   	Rf7   
	  23.	h4    	d5    
    {This leads to an exchange of queens, leaving White with a tiny 
    advantage - but all Capablanca needs is a microscopic advantage!}

	  24.	cxd5  	exd5  
	  25.	Qxe8+! 	Qxe8  
	  26.	Rxe8+ 	Kxe8  
	  27.	h5!   
    {All according to plan! If Black plays 27...gxh5, there follows 28.Rh1
    Kf8 29.Rxh5, and White wins the h-pawn or the d-pawn.}
	  27.	...        	Rf6   
	  28.	hxg6  	hxg6  
	  29.	Rh1   
    {Good players always seem to hold the high cards. Capablanca's rook 
    controls an open file and will seize the seventh rank next move. 
    Should Tartakower's rook become ambitious and try to counter-attack by
    29...Rc6, the reply 30.Bb5 would come like a flash and pin the 
    unfortunate piece.}
	  29.	...        	Kf8   
	  30.	Rh7   
    {Rook to the seventh rank - the magic move in rook and pawn endings. 
    What is the secret in the strength of this move? It is this:
    (a) The rook is in the perfect position to attack any pawns that have 
    not yet moved - thise still standing on the second rank.
    (b) The rook is prepared to attack any pawns that have moved, by 
    getting behind them without loss of time. The pawns would be under 
    constant threat of capture, no matter how many squares they advanced 
    on the file.
    (c) The rook's domination of the seventh rank confines the opposing 
    king to the last rank, preventing any part in the fighting.}
	  30.	...        	Rc6   
	  31.	g4    	Nc4   
    {The knight hastens to get into active play. Black naturally avoids 
    31...Rxc3, as the reply 32.Bxg6 allows his opponent to have two 
    connected passed pawns.}

	  32.	g5    
    {Threatens to win by 33.Rh6 Kg7 34.f5.}
	  32.	...        	Ne3+  
	  33.	Kf3   	Nf5   
	  34.	Bxf5  	gxf5 D 
    {Now comes a brilliant continuation that Capablanca must have planned 
    many moves before. In a simplified ending where pawns are worth their 
    weight in gold, he gives away two pawns! Moreover he lets Black 
    capture them with check!}

	  35.	Kg3!  
    {The king is headed for f6, a square from which he can assist the rook
    in mating threats, and also help the passed pawn take those last three
    steps. }
	  35.	...        	Rxc3+ 
	  36.	Kh4   	Rf3   
    {Instead of this, if Black tries to exchange rooks, thsi follows: 
    36...Rc8 37.Kh5 Rh8+ 38.Kg6 Rxh7 39.Kxh7 c5 40.g6 and the pawn crashes
    through.}

	  37.	g6    	Rxf4+ 
	  38.	Kg5   	Re4   
    {Capturing the d-pawn would be fatal: 38...Rxd4 39.Kf6 Kg8 (on 
    39...Ke8 40.Rh8+ Kd7 41.g7, and Black must give up his rook for the 
    pawn) 40.Rd7, and White mates next move. }

	  39.	Kf6!  
    {Excellent! The king is beautifully placed to support the passed pawn,
    and incidentally to frighten Black with threats of mate.
    Notice that White disdained from capturing Black's pawn. Now it acts 
    as a buffer against annoying checks by the rook.}
	  39.	...        	Kg8   
	  40.	Rg7+  	Kh8   
	  41.	Rxc7  	Re1   
	  42.	Kxf5  	Re4   
	  43.	Kf6   	Rf4+  
	  44.	Ke5   
    {White goes after the queen-side pawns. Contrasting the activity of 
    the two kings, White is practically a piece ahead!}
	  44.	...        	Rg4   
	  45.	g7+   	Kg8   
    {Black doesn't dare take the pawn. If 45...Rxg7 46.Rxg7 Kxg7 47.Kxd5 
    Kf7 48.Kd6 Ke8 49.Kc7 Ke7 50.d5, and the pawn cannot be stopped.}

	  46.	Rxa7  	Rg1   
	  47.	Kxd5  	Rc1   
	  48.	Kd6   	Rc2   
	  49.	d5    	Rc1   
	  50.	Rc7   	Ra1   
	  51.	Kc6   	Rxa4  
	  52.	d6    
    {The continuation (for anyone still skeptical) would be 52...Rd4 53.d7
    Rc4+ (if 53...Kxg7 54.d8=Q+ wins) 54.Kb7 Rd4 55.Kc8, and the pawn 
    becomes a queen next move.
    "No one has ever played these endgames with such elegant ease as 
    Capablanca," says Réti.}

1-0

