DE LA DIRECCIÓN DE EDUCACIÓN MEDIA SUPERIOR

Ruy Lopez

1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 0-0 Be7 6 Re1 b5 7 Bb3 d6 8 c3 Na5

A strange move order by today’s standards but we abide by a statute of limitations, so I won’t complain about strange or inaccurate opening moves throughout the book.

Question: What is the move order mostly played today?

Answer: The main path would be 8 ... 0-0 9 h3 Na5 10 Bc2 c5 11 d4.

9 Bc2 c5 10 d4 Qc7 11 Nbd2

White can also play 11 h3, 11 a4, and 11 d5.

11 ... Nc6

11 ... 0-0 12 Nf1 Nc6 13 Ne3 Re8?! 14 Nd5! Nxd5? (Black should just move his queen) 15 exd5 Na5 16 dxe5 dxe5 17 Nxe5 and White won a pawn, R.J.Fischer-W.Donnelly, Milwaukee 1957.

12 Nf1?!

This allows an annoying pin. 12 d5 Nd8 13 a4 Rb8 was probably better, C.Ahues-A.Rubinstein, Hamburg Olympiad 1930.

12 ... cxd4 13 cxd4 Bg4

This is the danger of White holding back on h2-h3.

14 d5 Nd4 15 Bd3 0-0 16 Be3 Rac8!?

Question: Why doesn’t Black damage the pawns by taking on f3?

Answer: I would do just that. Perhaps he feared a future attack down the g-file after 16 ... Nxf3+ 17 gxf3 Bd7 18 Ng3 which is about equal.

17 Bxd4

He hands Black a weak pawn, at the cost of the bishop pair and degrading his control over the dark squares.

17 ... exd4 18 a4 Qb6 19 axb5 axb5 20 h3 Bxf3 21 Qxf3 Nd7

An interesting imbalance arises with the presence of the opposite-coloured bishops. The principles are:

1. Opposite-coloured bishops favour the attacking side. In this case nobody has an attack yet.

2. In endings, opposite-coloured bishops allow the pawn (or pawns) down side greater drawing chances.

22 Rec1 Nc5 23 b4 Na4?

Overly ambitious.

Question: What don’t you like about the move? He plans to plant his knight on c3, in the heart of White’s territory.

Answer: Believe it or not, Black underestimates the problems to his king, as Capa soon launches a deeply hidden attack. The balance of power remains unaltered after the correct 23 ... Nxd3! 24 Rxc8 Rxc8 25 Qxd3.

Question: Whose position do you prefer?

Answer: I actually prefer Black, who controls the c-file and dark squares.

24 Rxc8! Rxc8

Exercise (combination alert): White has a trick in the position which creates very real threats to Black’s king.

Answer: 25 e5!

Threat: Qf5!. Black must weaken his kingside to prevent it. White must confidently calculate the next few moves to be certain of the effectiveness of his first shot, without allowing a retaliatory response.

25 ... g6

25 ... Rf8 26 e6! g6 transposes.

26 e6! Rf8

White gets a winning position after 26 ... fxe6?! 27 dxe6 Rf8 28 Qg4 Rf6 29 Ng3 d5 30 Nf5! Qxe6 (30 ... Rxe6 31 Bxb5!) 31 Nxe7+ Qxe7 32 Qxd4, when Black is about to drop at least one pawn and remains with a shaky king.

27 Ng3!

The knight finds accommodations on f1 thoroughly unsuitable, and seeks an upgrade. 27 ... Qb7?

Instead:

a) 27 ... fxe6? 28 Qg4 e5 29 Bxg6 hxg6 30 Qxg6+ Kh8 31 Nh5 mates.

b) 27 ... Qc7! is Black’s best defensive try: 28 Bxb5 Nc3 29 exf7+ Rxf7 30 Qd3 Qb7.

White has access to another trick where Capa’s pieces begin to boil over on the kingside. Black soon loses his fragile trusteeship over the kingside, and punctures and corrosion degrade what was once a stable structure.

Exercise (combination alert): Let’s see if you can find White’s idea:

Answer: Step 1: White snaps the rein, urging his horse on. The knight is immune.

28 Nf5! fxe6

Question: What if Black plays it cool with a move like 28 ... Kh8?

Answer: Black’s troubles don’t go away. For example: 29 Qe4! fxe6 30 Nxe7 Qxe7 31 dxe6 Nc3 32 Qxd4+ Qg7 33 Qxd6!.

Step 2: Overload Black’s queen.

29 dxe6! Qc7

Step 3: Overload her again!

30 Qc6!

Have you ever been in the ocean when the tide was so strong that a wave knocked you down? You get up, then another immediately tosses you around again. This is Black’s fate.

30 ... Qd8

Black’s queen, chafing under her sister’s rule, furrows her brow and backs off.

31 Nxe7+ Qxe7

Step 4: Win a pawn and create a passed b-pawn.

32 Bxb5 Nc3

Step 5: Simplification.

33 Qd7!

White’s queen, on the other hand, stands resplendent among the unwashed rabble surrounding her.

33 ... Qxd7

Black’s poor confused queen reminds me of the time when I introduced my wife – then girlfriend – Nancy, to my relatives, whose baffling names she could neither pronounce nor remember.

34 Bxd7

Game over. The passed e- and b-pawns decide.

Question: I admit this is a brilliant game but why did you put it in the Attack chapter?

Answer: Dang, I was hoping you wouldn’t notice. This was one of the games which didn’t really fit into any chapter in the book. For instance, Capa was never on the defensive, so Chapter 2 is out. I’m not really sure which imbalance Capa did or didn’t exploit; and he really didn’t win by accumulation of advantages, so there goes Chapters 3 and 4. Finally, it doesn’t fit with the endgame chapter either since he has a trivially won game once the queens go off, so no Chapter 5! Although Capa didn’t crown his attack with mate, he really did gain all his advantages by threatening to attack. So here it is in Chapter 1!

34 ... Rb8

34 ... Nd5 35 Ra6 Ne7 36 Rxd6 Rb8 37 Rxd4 leaves Black three pawns down.

35 e7 Kf7 36 Re1!

Following Lasker’s advice: The threat is stronger than its execution.

36 ... Re8 37 Bxe8+ Kxe8 38 Re6 d5 39 Kf1 Nb5 39 ... d3 40 Ke1 ends the d-pawn’s dream.

40 Ke2 Nc7 41 Re5 Na6 42 b5 Nb4 43 b6 d3+ 44 Kd2 Kd7!?

Question: What the hell!?

Answer: Clear proof that Dus C was an aspiring and gifted comedian. A suicidal person, unable to do the deed (resign!), sometimes provokes another, hoping to be killed. 44 ... Nc6 45 b7 is no improvement!

45 e8Q+ Kd6 46 Qe7+ Kc6 47 Qxb4 1-0

Question: Wouldn’t one expect a more positional approach against the Dutch with Capa as White?