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Botvinnik-Flohr Match 1933 In the wake of Mikhail Botvinnik's win of the 1933 USSR Chess Championship in Leningrad, a match was devised by Alexander Ilyin-Zhenevsky and Nikolai Vasilyevich Krylenko to pit the new Soviet champion against Salomon Flohr, at that time one of the people believed to be strong enough to challenge Alexander Alekhine in a world championship title match. Flohr agreed to the match with Botvinnik, the first six games to be played in Moscow and the latter six games to be played in Leningrad. Many figures in Soviet chess circles at the time were skeptical of Botvinnik's chances against the very strong Czechoslavkian master, despite Botvinnik's successes and increasingly systematic methods of preparation. Krylenko insisted, however, claiming that Botvinnik and the new generation by extension had to be "tested." The first half of the match was dismal for both Botvinnik and Krylenko. Flohr got off to a one game lead in the opening round of the match, and had made it plus +2 by the wrap up in Moscow. Botvinnik persevered in Leningrad however, managing to win two games of his own and finally leaving the match score tied at 6 points a piece at the final. It was not the resounding victory Krylenko had hoped for, but Botvinnik at the very least had managed to spare them both embarrassment. The final standings and crosstable: =1st Flohr 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 0 0 ½ ½ 6/12 =1st Botvinnik 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 1 ½ ½ 6/12 12 games, 1933 Botvinnik: Move by Move 'Botvinnik: Move by Move' by Cyrus Lakdawala. 59 games, 1925-1970 Botvinnik: One Hundred Selected Games 'Botvinnik: One Hundred Selected Games' by Mikhail Botvinnik. Translated by Stephen Garry. 100 games, 1926-1946 Capablanca Structure 13 games, 1910-2013 Capablanca vs Alekhine WCM 1927 34 games, 1927 Capablanca vs the World Champions Decisive Games The Romance of the Chess World Championship Match and the World Champions that won them: There can only be Two. The Champion to hold the Title he beat all the masters for. The Challenger on quest for same Title of yore. Jose Raul Capablanca The human chess computer. Jose Raul Capablanca had the best over-all lifetime score against his fellow World Champions. In fact, Capa achieved the somewhat unique feat of not having a single losing lifetime record in classical games against any fellow World Champion. He also had the least number of games lost to World Champions, 11 out of 99; which means that even when playing against a World Champion, Capa could reasonably be expected to lose only about one game out of ten. By present-day standards Capa started his serious international career quite late, in 1911 at the age of 23. In terms of international experience, the 16 year old Fischer, Kasparov, or Carlsen probably had more of it than the 23 year old Capablanca. It truly must have been astonishing for the top masters of his time to witness a newly graduated college student, with no international experience whatsoever plucked from nowhere and plonked down in the middle of a top international tournament, mow down one experienced master after the other. It was and is the greatest international debut in chess history. In an era where matches at classical time controls were common because masters often challenged each other for stakes, Capa achieved probably the best match record in all of chess history. In all of his serious chess life, he won around a dozen and a half(!) one-on-one matches, including a massacre of Marshall (+8 -1 =14, 1909), a whitewash of Kostic (+5 -0 =0, 1919); furthermore in two matches against World Champions Lasker (+4 -0 =10, 1921) and Euwe (+2 -0 =8, 1931), Capa the unbeatable did not lose a single game. Capa lost exactly one match, the World Championship Match vs Alekhine which unfortunately for him was the one that cost him his Title (+3 -6 =25, 1927), and tied exactly one, a mini-match vs. Znosko Borovsky (+1 -1 =0, 1913). In other mini-matches in 1913-1914, Capablanca mowed down such strong masters as Alekhine, Mieses, Teichmann, Dus Chotimirsky, Tartakower, and Bernstein; Capa won 10 games, drew two, and lost none, for an incredible score of 11/12. Capa would be a beast in the World Cup format (successive mini-matches and quick game tie breakers); and IMO would be the only chess master in history whom the odds would actually favor with a probability of winning by more than 50%. In his 1921 World Championship match with Lasker, Capablanca may have made less errors than any other winner of a WC Match against an opponent who made less errors than any other loser of a WC Match, which if verified would make this match a gold standard for WC matches. Adding to his unbeatable mystique was the fact that Capablanca played incredibly fast, and was regarded by all his colleagues as invincible in rapid and blitz games. According to computer analysis Capa played the most error-free chess ever in history, probably the closest a human being has ever come to playing like a computer. If computers were self-aware they would undoubtedly choose the 1916-1924 Capablanca as the strongest player humanity has ever produced. Jose Raul Capablanca vs. Emanuel Lasker 6 - 2 (plus 16 draws) Jose Raul Capablanca vs. Alexander Alekhine 9 - 7 (plus 33 draws) Jose Raul Capablanca vs. Max Euwe 4 - 1 (plus 13 draws) Jose Raul Capablanca vs. Mikhail Botvinnik 1 - 1 (plus 5 draws) I would also add to this collection: 1. The often neglected classical games that Capablanca played with the top masters of Europe in his European tours of 1913 - 1914, including some of the mini-matches mentioned above. These were played under classical time controls. Even a brief perusal shows that Capablanca demonstrated some of the best chess of his life in these games, and that he and his opponents, the top masters of Europe, gave these games their best efforts. 2. Nearly unbelievable seminal games wherein Capablanca plays middlegame structures of the Modern Benoni, KID, Benko Gambit, Sicilian Scheveningen strategically perfectly. How in the world was Capablanca able to create textbook perfect examples of how these openings should strategically be played at a time when they did not exist? 3. Two games against Corzo I would never believe that a 12 to 13 year old could play with such excellence and with such quickness, if it was not documented as so. 52 games, 1901-1938 Capablanca's Best Chess Endings (Irving Chernev) 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 60 games, 1901-1936 Capablanca's Best Games (Golombek) 100 games, 1901-1939 Capablanca-Euwe 1931 Games from the Capablanca-Euwe match in 1931, plus their game from Hastings 1930/31. 11 games, 1931 Chess Miniatures, Collection I Here are 450 chess miniatures, all 20 moves or less 450 games, 1620-2015 Chess Miniatures, Collection I Here are 450 chess miniatures, all 20 moves or less 450 games, 1620-2015 Chess Miniatures, Collection II Here are a number of chess miniatures, all under 20 moves or less 450 games, 1620-2015 Chess Miniatures, Collection III more chess miniatures, 20 moves or less 445 games, 1512-2015 Chess Miniatures, Collection IV More chess games 20 moves or less 448 games, 1590-2015 Chess Miniatures, Collection IX chess games 25 moves or less 447 games, 1620-2015 Chess Miniatures, Collection V More short chess games 446 games, 1475-2014 Chess Miniatures, Collection VI more short games 448 games, 1497-2013 Chess Miniatures, Collection VII more short games of chess under 25 moves 448 games, 1830-2015 Chess Miniatures, Collection VIII chess miniatures 25 moves or less 450 games, 1842-2015 Chess Miniatures, Collection X short chess games 25 moves or less 449 games, 1620-2014

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