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Jose Raul Capablanca vs Octavio Trompowsky
Buenos Aires Olympiad Final-A (1939), Buenos Aires ARG, rd 15, Sep-18
Catalan Opening: Closed Variation (E01)  ·  1-0

8
7
6
5
4
3
2
a
1
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
White to move.
ANALYSIS [x]
Notes by Stockfish 9 v010218 (minimum 6s/ply)better is 10...O-O 11.Na3 Qb6 12.e4 Nb4 13.Be3 Qa6 14.Qb3 e5 15.Nc2 = +0.24 (23 ply) ⩲ +0.85 (25 ply) after 11.e4 Nb6 12.Qc2 Qc7 13.Bf4 e5 14.Be3 O-O 15.Nd2 Rfd8 11...Qc7 12.e4 Nb6 13.Qa5 c5 14.Be3 O-O 15.Nd2 Rfc8 ⩲ +0.65 (23 ply) 12.e4 Nb6 13.Rxd8 Nxa4 14.Rd7 Rfd8 15.Rxe7 Rd1+ 16.Bf1 ⩲ +1.43 (25 ply)= +0.33 (22 ply) after 12...Qc7 13.e4 Nb6 14.Qa5 c5 15.Bf4 Qc6 16.Rac1 Rad8 better is 15...Ba6 16.b3 Qh5 17.Bf4 Bxc4 18.Qxc4 Rad8 19.Rxd8 Bxd8 = +0.33 (23 ply) ⩲ +1.03 (25 ply) 16...c5 17.b3 Rxd1+ 18.Rxd1 Bc6 19.Bd6 Bf8 20.Bxf8 Rxf8 ⩲ +0.67 (21 ply) ± +1.84 (24 ply)better is 23...g5 24.Bxa7 c5 25.f3 Kf8 26.Rd6 Bb7 27.Rb6 Bc6 28.Rb8 ± +1.84 (22 ply)+- +2.52 (25 ply) 31.Rc3 c4 32.a5 f6 33.exf6 Nxf6 34.bxc4 Rxc4 35.Rxc4 +- +2.68 (26 ply) ± +1.79 (27 ply) 32...f6 33.Kf3 fxe5 34.fxe5 Ra8 35.Kf4 Ra5 36.h4 Kd8 ± +2.06 (26 ply)+- +4.05 (31 ply)36...Kd7 37.Rxc2 Rxc2+ 38.Kxc2 Nc6 39.b4 Na7 40.Bc5 Nb5 +- +4.73 (30 ply)1-0

rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 1
FEN COPIED

Annotations by Stockfish (Computer).      [35436 more games annotated by Stockfish]

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Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 1 OF 2 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Aug-09-04  notyetagm: Capa was <+7 =9 -0> on board 1 for the Cuban team at the 1939 Buenos Aires Olympiad. This <undefeated> performance earned Capa the gold medal for board 1, even though the Cuban team finished 11th overall.
Aug-09-04
Premium Chessgames Member
  Gypsy: If 32...Bxb3, then 33.Bb7 Rd8 34.a5 easily wins.
Aug-09-04  Saruman: Gypsy; I guess you meant 31.-bxb3 etc, anyway perhaps you missed 33.Bc7! instead of a5.
Aug-09-04
Premium Chessgames Member
  Gypsy: Actually, I just think immediate 34.a5 is stronger still <Saruman>. Black can not stop that pawn without heavy casualties. The d8 rook is no match for the d6 bishop -- 35.Bc7 is still one of the threats and if 34...Nb8 then 35.a6 decides the game.
Aug-09-04  Saruman: You have a point there perhaps I hadnt analyzed the position that deep :-), ill have to check out later which is the best.
Aug-09-04
Premium Chessgames Member
  Gypsy: Btw, welcome to the site <Saruman>!
Nov-23-04  Whitehat1963: Wow! What a different looking opening for Capablanca.
Nov-23-04  kostich in time: Capablanca was in excellent form at Buenos Aires..played several nice games,though almost exclusively against players of the seond rank. If Alekhine had escaped to America, a Capablanca-Alekhine rematch would almost certainly have taken place. Instead, Alekhine spent the war winning Nazi tournaments and writing such "gems" as "The Aryan concept of attack"( and privately writing careful analysis of the Kashdan-Reshevsky match, in which he was quite complimentary to both non-Aryans)
Oct-21-05
Premium Chessgames Member
  Mateo: 8... Be7?! is not very good, as it allows Capablanca to destroy black's pawn structure on the queenside. Christiansen and Kotov, for instance, played here the more logical 8... Bd7, so that if 9. Nc6 Bc6.
Oct-21-05
Premium Chessgames Member
  Mateo: 10.e4 is good too. White won some games with this natural move.
Oct-21-05
Premium Chessgames Member
  Mateo: If 12. e4 (instead of 12. Na3) 12... Nb6 13. Rd8 Na4 14. Rd7 is unclear. For instance, 14... Rfd8 15. Re7 Rd1 16. Bf1 Rc1 (16... Ba6 17. Nd2) 17. Rb7 Nc5 18. Rb4 Rd8 19. Rc4 Rdd1 20. Rc1 Rc1. It is not sure at all that white can free his rook and knight.
Oct-21-05
Premium Chessgames Member
  Mateo: 22... Ba6? loses a pawn. 22... Be2 was the only move. But after 23. Rd2 Bh5 Capablanca has much a better ending.
Nov-24-05  gmgomes: This was Capablanca´s last official game.
Jun-06-06  Aspirador: After 31... Bxb3, 32. a5 there is still 32... Bd5!
I would prefer 32. Bb7 first.
Dec-28-08  Ulhumbrus: 21 b3 begins to force Black's QB to go to a6 and block Black's a pawn, whereupon after Bc5 the a7 pawn cannot advance so as to evade the attack.
Dec-28-08  visayanbraindoctor: <gmgomes: This was Capablanca´s last official game.>

Finally I have been able to replay Capa's last official game! A smooth Catalan performance against an inaccurately-playing Trompovsky.

Jan-14-09  notyetagm: Capablanca vs Trompowsky, 1939

12 ?


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(VAR) 12 e2-e4 <pin>


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<Mateo: If 12. e4 (instead of 12. Na3) 12... Nb6 13. Rd8 Na4 14. Rd7 is unclear. For instance, 14... Rfd8 15. Re7 Rd1 16. Bf1 Rc1 (16... Ba6 17. Nd2) 17. Rb7 Nc5 18. Rb4 Rd8 19. Rc4 Rdd1 20. Rc1 Rc1. It is not sure at all that white can free his rook and knight.>

(VAR) 14 ♖d8-d7 <fork>


click for larger view

Hmmm. http://www.truechess.com/web/oversi... calls it one of <Capablanca's Oversights>.

< 12.Na3? [A less sophisticated player would have played 12.e4! and won material. Both players must have thought that 12...Nb6 keeps material even, but after 13.Rxd8 Nxa4 comes 14.Rd7! and White wins one of the bishops]>

Who is correct? What does <RYBKA 3> say?

Jan-15-09  nimh: Charles Sullivan is right. R3 proposes the following freeing maneuver:

(1.47): 21.Kg2 Nxe4 22.Bd3 Nc5[] 23.Be2[] Na4 24.Kf3 Nxb2 25.Ke3 Na4 26.Kd2 Rh1 27.h4 Nb6 28.Bd1


click for larger view

Jan-23-09  RandomVisitor: 1: Jose Raul Capablanca - Trompowsky, Buenos Aires ol (Men) f-A 1939


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Analysis by Rybka 3 : <20-ply>

1. (1.72): 12...Nb6 13.Rxd8 Nxa4 14.Rd7 Rfd8 15.Rxe7 Rd1+ 16.Bf1 Rxc1 17.Rxb7 Nc5 18.Rc7 Na6 19.Rd7 Nb4 20.a4 Nc2 21.Ra3 Rxb1 22.Rf3 Rf8 23.Rc3 Ne1 24.f4 g5 25.fxg5 f5 26.e5 f4 27.g4 Rb8

2. (2.07): 12...Qb6 13.exd5 cxd5 14.Qb3 Qxb3 15.axb3 Bc6 16.Bf4 Bf6 17.Nc3 g5 18.Bd2 a5 19.Rac1 Rfc8 20.Na4 Bxa4 21.Rxc8+ Rxc8 22.bxa4 Bxb2 23.Rb1 Bd4 24.Bxa5 Ra8 25.Rb5

3. (2.09): 12...Bf6 13.exd5 cxd5 14.Nc3 Qb6 15.Qb5 Qxb5 16.Nxb5 Bc6 17.Nd4 Bd7 18.b3 a5 19.f4 Rfc8 20.Bf1 Rc7 21.Rb1 Rac8 22.Bb2 h6 23.Ba6

Jan-24-09  AnalyzeThis: This game was over long before black realized it was.
Jan-24-09  M.D. Wilson: Octavio Figueira Trompowsky de Almeida. What a name.
Feb-23-09  WhiteRook48: maybe Capablanca also wanted to show he was passive when he played 12 Na3
Feb-26-11  Ulhumbrus: After 23 Bc5 Black's Rook finds suddenly itself overworked. It is unable to defend the a7 pawn and defend the back rank as well.
Feb-26-21  Gaito: Capablanca usually liked to steer clear from unnecessary complications, even if sometimes the complications might be favorable to him. That was a good approach to save time and energy. He always sought clarity and simplicity. Take a look at the following diagram:


click for larger view

The move 12.e4 begs to be played, but presumably Capa rejected it on account of the unnecessary complications that would arise after that move. For example: 12.e4 Nb6 13.Rxd8 Nxa4 14.Rd7 Rfd8 15.Rxe7 Rd1+ 16.Bf1 Rxc1 17.Rxb7 Nc5 18.Rb4 (or else 18.Rc7 Nxe4) Rd8 19.Rc4 Rdd1 (see diagram below):


click for larger view

This is a very complicated position where White has a piece to the good but his Q-side pieces can't be developed yet, for instance: 20.Rxc1 Rxc1 21.Kg2 Nxe4 (diagram):


click for larger view

I am sure that Capablanca just wouldn't have liked to play White in this position, even if he has an extra piece for a pawn.

Feb-26-21  Gaito: Where did Black go wrong in the opening? A critical moment was after 16.Bf4 (see diagram below):


click for larger view

Black played 16...Rac8?, and that move turned out to be the decisive mistake. He should have played 16...c5! with a good game (maybe equality). For example: 16...c5! 17.b3 Qa6 18.Bc7 Rd4 (see diagram below):


click for larger view

Black has a playable middle-game, and nothing to fear.

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