Capablanca's Best Chess Endings

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Capablanca's Best Chess Endings
Compiled by skisuitof12

Games from Irving Chernev's "Capablanca's Best Chess Endings"

The opening of a game is important - and hundreds of books are written on the opening. The opening leads to the midgame. The midgame is important - and hundreds of books are written on the midgame. The midgame leads to the endgame. The endgame is important - and *no books are written on the endgame*!

Yes, there are books, but they concern themselves with composed endings, or with theoretical (and for the most part artificial) positions. The composed endings are admittedly beautiful, but they are of limited value, as they have no relationship to practical play. Of the theoretical positions, many have their uses, but one must sift the wheat from the chaff. TO what use can we put such knowledge as the procedure for mating with a Knight and Bishop, or with the two Bishops, when an opportunity to do so may not occur in a lifetime? And why burden our minds with the manner of forcing mate with three knights (believe-it-or-not) or winning with four minor pieces against a Queen (sans Pans) when such positions as these have never yet been seen on land or sea? Capablanca himself says : "In order to improve your game, you must study the endgame before anything else; for whereas the endings can be studied and mastered by themselves, the middlegame and the opening must be studied in relation to the endgame." There are no books on endings from real life, no books from the practices of masters in actual play, let alone from the practice of a single master. This fact alone is enough to justify this book of endings, selected from the tournament and match play of the greatest endgame virtuoso the world has ever seen - the immortal Capablanca. Here are wondrous endings to enchant the reader, endings of breathtaking artistry. Here are endings of astonishing accuracy, whose relentless logic will inspire the earnest student to emulate a similar technique - the technique of seeking a clear-cut, efficient win, instead of a display of fireworks. The games are given in full, in order to show how a slight advantage acquired in the early stages, is carried forward and exploited in the endgame. I have annotated the endings in detail (a consideration they have rarely received before) for the better appreciation of the fine points of Capablanca's play, and have given credit to those who have anticipated my findings.

-- Irving Chernev

Capablanca vs J Corzo, 1901
(A83) Dutch, Staunton Gambit, 59 moves, 1-0
Capablanca vs J Corzo, 1901
(D02) Queen's Pawn Game, 60 moves, 1-0
Marshall vs Capablanca, 1909
(D53) Queen's Gambit Declined, 52 moves, 0-1
Marshall vs Capablanca, 1909
(D33) Queen's Gambit Declined, Tarrasch, 49 moves, 0-1
Capablanca vs A Kreymborg, 1910
(D02) Queen's Pawn Game, 49 moves, 1-0
Capablanca vs Corzo / Blanco / Portela, 1910
(B01) Scandinavian, 45 moves, 1-0
Capablanca vs Janowski, 1911
(D40) Queen's Gambit Declined, Semi-Tarrasch, 66 moves, 1-0
P Leonhardt vs Capablanca, 1911
(D32) Queen's Gambit Declined, Tarrasch, 61 moves, 0-1
L Carranza vs Capablanca, 1911
(C46) Three Knights, 44 moves, 0-1
Capablanca vs Janowski, 1913
(C48) Four Knights, 54 moves, 1-0
H Kline vs Capablanca, 1913
(A46) Queen's Pawn Game, 51 moves, 0-1
J Stapfer vs Capablanca, 1913
(D45) Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Slav, 46 moves, 0-1
Capablanca vs Kupchik, 1913
(C49) Four Knights, 68 moves, 1-0
Capablanca vs F Beynon, 1913
(B58) Sicilian, 40 moves, 1-0
Duras vs Capablanca, 1913
(D44) Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Slav, 75 moves, 0-1
Capablanca vs Teichmann, 1913
(D63) Queen's Gambit Declined, Orthodox Defense, 38 moves, 1-0
Capablanca vs Allies, 1913
(C83) Ruy Lopez, Open, 53 moves, 1-0
A Nimzowitsch vs Capablanca, 1913
(C50) Giuoco Piano, 64 moves, 0-1
Faehndrich / Kaufmann vs Reti / Capablanca, 1914
(C11) French, 47 moves, 0-1
Capablanca vs B H Villegas, 1914
(D04) Queen's Pawn Game, 34 moves, 1-0
Ed. Lasker vs Capablanca, 1915
(D51) Queen's Gambit Declined, 40 moves, 0-1
Capablanca vs R Black, 1916
(C87) Ruy Lopez, 63 moves, 1-0
Capablanca vs Janowski, 1916
(D15) Queen's Gambit Declined Slav, 83 moves, 1-0
Janowski vs Capablanca, 1916
(D15) Queen's Gambit Declined Slav, 46 moves, 0-1
Marshall vs Capablanca, 1918
(D63) Queen's Gambit Declined, Orthodox Defense, 39 moves, 0-1
Capablanca vs Kostic, 1919
(C42) Petrov Defense, 86 moves, 1-0
Kostic vs Capablanca, 1919
(D03) Torre Attack (Tartakower Variation), 54 moves, 0-1
Capablanca vs Yates, 1919
(C84) Ruy Lopez, Closed, 61 moves, 1-0
W Winter vs Capablanca, 1919
(C49) Four Knights, 29 moves, 0-1
Capablanca vs A G Conde, 1919
(C79) Ruy Lopez, Steinitz Defense Deferred, 46 moves, 1-0
Capablanca vs Allies, 1920
(D30) Queen's Gambit Declined, 42 moves, 1-0
Lasker vs Capablanca, 1921
(D61) Queen's Gambit Declined, Orthodox, Rubinstein Attack, 68 moves, 0-1
J Morrison vs Capablanca, 1922
(A46) Queen's Pawn Game, 57 moves, 0-1
Capablanca vs Bogoljubov, 1922
(C91) Ruy Lopez, Closed, 52 moves, 1-0
H Atkins vs Capablanca, 1922
(B12) Caro-Kann Defense, 67 moves, 0-1
Capablanca vs Tartakower, 1924
(A40) Queen's Pawn Game, 52 moves, 1-0
Capablanca vs Yates, 1924
(A48) King's Indian, 77 moves, 1-0
Capablanca vs Lasker, 1924
(D10) Queen's Gambit Declined Slav, 50 moves, 1-0
Capablanca vs Reti, 1924
(C14) French, Classical, 36 moves, 1-0
Capablanca vs W Shipley, 1924
(C12) French, McCutcheon, 34 moves, 1-0
Capablanca vs Vidmar, 1927
(C98) Ruy Lopez, Closed, Chigorin, 37 moves, 1-0
A Nimzowitsch vs Capablanca, 1927
(B12) Caro-Kann Defense, 46 moves, 0-1
Capablanca vs Alekhine, 1927
(D52) Queen's Gambit Declined, 70 moves, 1-0
L Merenyi vs Capablanca, 1928
(B27) Sicilian, 38 moves, 0-1
E Steiner vs Capablanca, 1928
(C74) Ruy Lopez, Modern Steinitz Defense, 67 moves, 0-1
Capablanca vs Rubinstein, 1928
(C09) French, Tarrasch, Open Variation, Main line, 44 moves, 1-0
J van den Bosch vs Capablanca, 1929
(B13) Caro-Kann, Exchange, 33 moves, 0-1
E Canal vs Capablanca, 1929
(E16) Queen's Indian, 57 moves, 0-1
K Havasi vs Capablanca, 1929
(E34) Nimzo-Indian, Classical, Noa Variation, 33 moves, 0-1
Capablanca vs G Thomas, 1929
(E11) Bogo-Indian Defense, 51 moves, 1-0
Capablanca vs Yates, 1930
(D63) Queen's Gambit Declined, Orthodox Defense, 87 moves, 1-0
Menchik vs Capablanca, 1931
(A47) Queen's Indian, 42 moves, 0-1
A Kevitz vs Capablanca, 1931
(A12) English with b3, 40 moves, 0-1
Lisitsin vs Capablanca, 1935
(A09) Reti Opening, 66 moves, 0-1
Capablanca vs Lilienthal, 1936
(A12) English with b3, 54 moves, 1-0
I Kan vs Capablanca, 1936
(C25) Vienna, 56 moves, 0-1
Lasker vs Capablanca, 1936
(B58) Sicilian, 54 moves, 0-1
Capablanca vs Eliskases, 1936
(C50) Giuoco Piano, 54 moves, 1-0
Ilyin-Zhenevsky / Rabinovich vs Capablanca, 1936
(A47) Queen's Indian, 41 moves, 0-1
Capablanca vs Reshevsky, 1936
(D23) Queen's Gambit Accepted, 58 moves, 1-0
60 games

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