this game doesn't appear to be in the database, under opening explorer for A nimzovich anyway and is taken directly from my system, is there a reason why it isn't included? or did i just not look in the right place?

Me and World Champion Jose R. Capablanca
After being eliminated in the preliminaries of the St. Petersburg Tournament of 1914, I was preparing to return to my home when that Cuban genius Jose R. Capablanca came to my rooms and asked me if I would consent to stay and train with him between rounds. I could see that he was gunning for Herr Lasker, and seeing the gleam in his eyes, I decided to stay and help Senor Capablanca better his chances in the Finals. I played rapid transit chess many nights after the day’s rounds and often times the other players, Senor Capablanca among them, also partook of this diversion, all excepting Herr Lasker, who retired to his rooms after each round. I and Senor Capablanca stood head and shoulders above the rest of the players, although, admittedly, Senor Capablanca beat all and sundry, my poor self included, just as he had at San Sebastian in 1911, when he was introduced to the European masters. After Senor Capablanca had been making short work of all the competitors, the general consensus was that maybe Senor would offer us time odds as he had at San Sebastian. Maybe you would give us the same odds that you gave us there, we argued. “What? 5-1 odds?” “Yes.” we said, “Make it interesting.”
“No,” he said. “I am not so sure that I can still play like that. How about, instead of 50 seconds a move, you only take 30 seconds to my 10 seconds? Of course, I will give Alexander Alekhine odds of 50 seconds to 10 seconds as he is not very good at rapid chess.” “Fair enough,” we said. But, again, he toyed with us and took many players money with him. Gentleman that he was, though, he returned many players money so that could afford train fare home. He freely took the stakes, and just as easily returned it, or bought champagne for all present. At rapid transit, Senor Capablanca was virtually unbeatable. To see him play rapid transit was a joy to behold with him gently picking up the pieces and carefully putting them on the correct squares. He seemed to move without thinking, so fluid were his moves. He toyed with his opponents as if he was a cat toying with a mouse! The great Russian genius, Herr A. Alekhine, even had tears in his eyes when he once said to me after repeatedly losing to Senor Capablanca, “He is a chess god. Don’t you understand, Herr Nimzowitsch? A god! I shall never rise to his level. Never!” I, on more than one occasion, admonished him, “Senor, you must stop these late nights. Be like Lasker. He plays, he goes to his apartment, he relaxes. He will win this tournament!” But, Senor Capablanca refused to listen. “Herr Nimzowitsch,” he would say, “I am leading that Old Man. I will win!” But, alas, my fears began to come true. After the brilliant crush against Herr Lasker, he would lose to Herr Tarrasch, my ever eternal enemy, in the following round, and his lead slipped away. Then the unthinkable happened. Lasker won St. Petersburg, as I had warned him about. It is no small thing to say that Senor Capablanca’s ego was hurt, and I and Herr Akiba Rubinstein, that brilliant master, decided to intercede, especially after we heard Senor Capablanca exclaim that he would never play chess again. “Senor, Herr Rubinstein and I have been examining your play, and we believe that you should play a small practice match against him.” “But I cannot play under tournament conditions now,” he exclaimed. “I just cannot.” “Then,” said I, “maybe we could arrange to play the games in private at a rate of ninety minutes per side per game. Would you agree to that,” I asked. “Yes, but at what stakes?” “You must present Herr Rubinstein with part of your prize money. He would also stay and help you overcome some of the weaknesses in your endgame. We believe that your game is very strong. Solid openings, imaginative middlegame play, bordering on the brilliant, even profound. But…” “But what?” he asked. “Your endgame lacks finesse.” I told him as gently as I could. And it was then that Senor Capablanca showed his true maturity when he said, “I appreciate your help. I will listen to your wise counsel. After all, I am determined to take Herr Lasker’s title.”

<Here, Mr. Weiss said that there were two games in the article. A loss by Rubinstein and a loss by Capablanca. Both games were analyzed by both players, but he refused to share them with me, citing his desire to publish them at a later date in a magazine.>

The Great War and My First Steps Back into Chess
When I was preparing to return to my home, the Senor asked me if we could continue training together. “I am returning to America and Cuba. Why don’t you come along?” I decided that I would come later in the New Year and we parted as friends, eager to train together again. As I said, the Great War intervened and I, like many of my countrymen, was called up for military service. While fighting against the dreadful enemy, I was wounded and spent a couple of years in a convalescent home. Eventually, I returned to my family’s country home and began the long process of healing. I was in a wheelchair for over a year, but eventually, with exercise and fresh air, I began to learn to walk again, and was never even afflicted with a limp. I was not able to go to America or Cuba. Oh, no, travel by sea was much too dangerous and I was much too ill. I did begin to play chess again at home with family and visitors and slowly began to change my way of playing chess, inventing a whole new system of playing, which, later, through my books and articles, many players began to copy. All phases of my game improved and I kept up my correspondence with both Senor Capablanca and occasionally Herr Rubinstein, but very infrequently with him. Herr Rubinstein’s letters would begin with some very accurate analyses of positions and games that he wanted to share, but eventually began to adopt a rambling, non-sensicle tone. At the time, I never imagined that I would not be able to compete again in a chess tournament until 1920, almost six years after St. Petersburg! I did not receive an invitation to the great 1919 London Victory tournament, although I was there to cover it for the newspapers. I did manage to talk to Senor Capablanca, who brilliantly won the tournament, I must say, about my new system and helped him with a couple of adjournments. But, only a couple. He did not really need anyone's help at this time. He won his games with ease and showed that he had grown in strength during the war years that he had spent in America, seemingly untouched by the Great War. The year 1920 saw my return to chess at Gothenburg where I did horribly, losing to Herren Rubinstein, Bogoljubow, Kostic, Mieses, and even Moeller. Moeller, for pity’s sake! I hastily, and with poor judgment, accepted the invitation to play Herr Bogoljubow in a short match immediately following this tournament. Overconfident after winning the first game, I then lost the remaining three to him. And, then, as if I had to accept that he was my better, I finished in second place in Stockholm to Herr Bogoljubow. The two of us had the satisfaction of decimating the field, with Herr Olson finishing four points behind me. But, I lost one and drew the second game with Herr Bogoljubow. Although I had finished well, I was extremely depressed and decided to give up chess altogether. But, then, a telegram arrived from Senor Capablanca. And with its arrival, my life changed. COME TO AMERICA STOP I WISH TO TRAIN AND HEAR ABOUT YOUR NEW SYSTEM STOP FORGET EUROPE STOP I AM ABOUT TO PLAY A MATCH WITH LASKER IF NEGOTIATIONS DO NOT FALL THROUGH STOP I NEED YOUR ASSISTANCE STOP COME RIGHT AWAY STOP YOURS SINCERELY JOSE RAUOL CAPABLANCA, FUTURE WORLD CHAMPION STOP

I am ill again, and the doctors say I may not have but a few months to live, so in tribute to My System, I have put pen to paper to tell how I helped my student, Senor Capablanca to become World Champion. His achievement is my achievement! His honor is my honor! Although he never again held the title, I am proud of his accomplishments. And so are his many legions of fans. For them, the World Champion is always – CAPABLANCA!!

That kind of monumental story would not have been hidden for such a long time, and surely historians like Winter would have found it.

Thank you for your very kind comments. High praise indeed, coming from a noted Nimzowitsch scholar. I appreciate them very much.

I am a big fan of Capablanca and Nimzowitsch and a very lively debate on the Capablanca page inspired me to write the story. Fortified by beer, I was able to dash it out pretty quickly!

The Royal Game was done as an excellent movie starring, if memory serves, Curt Jergens - Brainwashed.

(taken from Inside Chess mag)

-- Nimzowitsch

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