Game no. 40

White:  Rubinstein.  Black:  Capablanca.

Queen’s Gambit Declined.

1.  P-Q4 P-Q4 2.  Kt-KB3 P-QB4 3.  P-B4 P-K3 4.  PxQP KPxP 5.  Kt-B3 Kt-QB3 6.  P-KKt3 B-K3 7.  B-Kt2 B-K2 8.  Castles R-B1

This move is not satisfactory at this juncture.  It rather helps a combination which is frequently resorted to in similar positions, namely, the exchange of the Black QB and subsequent pressure on the KP by the White KB on the diagonal KR3-QB8. 8. ...  Kt-B3 should have been played, after

---------------------------------------
8 |    |    | #R | #Q | #K |    | #Kt| #R |
|---------------------------------------|
7 | #P | #P |    |    | #B | #P | #P | #P |
|---------------------------------------|
6 |    |    | #Kt|    | #B |    |    |    |
|---------------------------------------|
5 |    |    | #P | #P |    |    |    |    |
|---------------------------------------|
4 |    |    |    | ^P |    |    |    |    |
|---------------------------------------|
3 |    |    | ^Kt|    |    | ^Kt| ^P |    |
|---------------------------------------|
2 | ^P | ^P |    |    | ^P | ^P | ^B | ^P |
|---------------------------------------|
1 | ^R |    | ^B | ^Q |    | ^R | ^K |    |
---------------------------------------
A    B    C    D    E    F    G    H

Diag. 157

which White could hardly be said to possess any advantage, e.g. 9.  B-Kt5, Kt-K5, or 9.  B-K3, Kt-KKt5, or 9.  P-QR3, or 9.  PxP, BxP; 10.  B-Kt5, B-K2.  After 9.  PxP, however, it would be weak to recapture with the Queen.  In a game E. Cohn-Ed. Lasker (match 1909) there followed:  9. ...  Q-R4; 10.  Kt-KKt5, QxP; 11.  B-K3, Q-R4; 12.  Q-Kt3, after which Black had to give up a pawn already:  Castles QR; 13.  KtxB, PxKt; 14.  B-R3, etc.

 9.  PxP BxP

10.  Kt-KKt5 Kt-B3
11.  KtxB PxKt
12.  B-R3 Q-K2
13.  B-Kt5

P-K4 is stronger here, in order to play B-Kt5 after PxP. l3. ...  P-Q5 would then be refuted by Kt-Q5.

13. ...            Castles
14.  BxKt          QxB

After this White gains a pawn by a complicated and well-timed combination.  Capablanca did not consider the subtle reply on Rubinstein’s seventeenth move.  Otherwise he would have recaptured with the pawn.  However, in that case too, White’s chances are good in the end-game which ensues after:  15.  KtxP, PxKt; 16.  QxPch, K-R1; 17.  BxR.  The Rooks would soon become effective in view of the open K side.

15.  KtxP Q-R3

BxPch fails because of 16.  K-Kt2, Q-B2; 17.  Kt-B4!

16.  K-Kt2 QR-Q1
17.  Q-B1