Lilienthal, Andor - Capablanca,Jose Raul
Nimzo-Indian Defence
Hastings, January 1st 1935,
The annotation of this game is based upon Lilienthal original commentary and Gary Kasparov's review in 'My Great Predecessors, Part IV'.
Lilienthal, Andor - Capablanca,Jose Raul
Nimzo-Indian Defence
Hastings, January 1st 1935,
The annotation of this game is based upon Lilienthal original commentary and Gary Kasparov's review in 'My Great Predecessors, Part IV'.
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.a3 Bxc3+ 5.bxc3 b6 6.f3
[After 6.e3 Black develops his bishop at b7]
6...d5?!
[Later it transpired that 6...Ba6 7.e4 Nc6! is better. Geller-Smyslov, Moscow 1949.(but not 7...d5?! 8.cxd5 (8.Bg5!?) 8...Bxf1 9.Kxf1 exd5 10.Bg5! (10.e5 Ng8 11.Ne2 Qd7 12.Kf2 Nc6 13.Re1 0-0-0 is unclear. Lilienthal-Steiner, Ujpest 1933.) 10...h6 11.Qa4+! Botvinnik-Tal.) ]
7.Bg5
[7.cxd5 exd5 8.e3 comes into consideration; the dangers lying in wait for Black became evident after the historic encounter, Botvinnik-Capablanca, AVRO tournament 1938.]
7...h6 8.Bh4 Ba6 9.e4!?
'A pawn sacrifice that was first employed by Alekhine, also at Hastings, the year before this game.' - Lilienthal.
9...Bxc4
[After 9...dxe4 10.fxe4 g5 11.Bg3 Nxe4 12.Be5 followed by Qc2 or Qd3, 'White would have obtained an attack.' - Lilienthal.
This assertion can probably be disputed: here it is not so easy to gain compensation for the pawn.; After 9...g5 10.Bg3 dxe4 White acquires the additional resource 11.Qa4+!
a) Lilienthal considers 11.Be5?! Nbd7 (11...Bb7! comes into consideration) 12.Qa4 Bb7 13.h4?! gxh4 14.Rxh4? Nd5!;
b) The recapture 11.fxe4 Nxe4 12.Be5 simply transforms back to the earlier line.; 11...Qd7 12.Qc2 with good play for the pawn.]
10.Bxc4 dxc4 11.Qa4+ Qd7 12.Qxc4 Qc6
[Eliskases chose 12...Nc6 against Alekhine, Hastings 1933/34, but failed to equalise 13.Ne2 Na5 14.Qd3 Qc6 15.0-0 0-0-0 16.Rab1! (It was suggested, that even stronger for White was 16.e5 g5 17.exf6 gxh4 18.Qe4 but Black retains counterplay by avoiding a queen exchange, Lilienthal. 18...Qc4) 16...g5 17.Bg3 Nh5 18.f4 f6 19.Rb4!]
13.Qd3!
[It is best for White to keep the queens on as after 13.Qxc6+ Nxc6 14.Bxf6 gxf6 15.Ne2 Rg8 his advantage is minimal.]
13...Nbd7 14.Ne2 Rd8
[In the event of castling on either side Lilienthal intended c4. 14...0-0 15.e5 (It is best to avoid 15.c4 e5!? blockading on e5.) 15...Nh7 16.0-0 with iniative; After 14...0-0-0 15.c4 loses a pawn to 15...Ne5 16.Qc3 Nxc4 but 17.Rc1 b5 18.a4 a6 19.0-0 gives White good chances of an attack.]
15.0-0
[Here the pawn sacrifice 15.c4?! Ne5 etc. is dubious because there is nothing to attack on the queenside.]
15...a5
[If 15...Ne5 16.Qc2 Lilienthal planned 16...Nc4 17.d5! exd5 18.Nd4 advantageously opening the position.; Capablanca is waiting before committing the placement of his king, therefore 15...Qa4 looks quite good.]
16.Qc2!
[In Euwe's opinion 16.Rac1 followed by c4 was correct. Black could have replied 16...Ne5 (If Black doesn't want complications 16...0-0 followed by e6-e5 isn't bad.) 17.Qe3 Nc4! (Not 17...Ng6 18.Bxf6 gxf6 with an extremeley complicated position. - Lilienthal. But after 19.c4 or f4 White has an obvious advantage.) 18.Qf4 e5 19.dxe5 Nh5! 20.Rcd1 (After 20.Qg4 Ne3! 21.Qxh5 g6 the queen is trapped) 20...Qc5+ 21.Kh1 0-0! Black has no cause for concern, e.g. 22.Qg4 Rxd1 23.Rxd1 Ne3 24.Bf2 Qc4!; Lilienthal thought 16.c4 'to be the most vigorous' giving 16...Ne5 (but 16...e5 is better e.g. 17.Rfd1 0-0 18.Nc3 Nc5! 19.Nd5!? Nxd5 20.dxc5 Nf4 21.Qxd8 Rxd8 22.Rxd8+ Kh7 23.Bf2 bxc5 and Black emerges from the complications with a good position.) 17.Qc3 Nxc4 18.Rfc1 b5 19.a4! with a clear advantage to White.]
16...Qc4! 17.f4!
[Nothing is achieved by 17.e5 g5 18.exf6 gxh4]
17...Rc8 18.f5!
'This move was condemned by Euwe and many other commentators. But I am of the opinion that it is the best.' - Lilienthal.
18...e5
[Lilienthal in his commentary doesn't comment on how White was intending to attack after 18...exf5 19.Rxf5 0-0 Probably like this 20.Bxf6 (20.e5 Nd5 doesn't look very good.) 20...Nxf6 21.Rxf6 (after 21.Ng3 Nh7 22.Raf1 Ng5 Black sets up a defence.) 21...gxf6 22.Ng3 c5! (22...Rfe8 can be met by 23.Qd2!? Qb5 24.h4 preventing Qg5 24...Kf8 25.Qxh6+ Ke7 26.Rf1 Qc6 27.e5 Rg8 28.Rxf6 Qxc3 29.Nf5+ Kd8 30.Rxb6 winning.) 23.Nf5 cxd4 24.Qd1! Rfd8 25.Qg4+ Kf8 26.Qg7+ Ke8 27.Qxf6 Rc7 28.cxd4 Qc3 29.Rf1 Qxa3 A computer may find this defence but it is difficult for a human to find 22....c5.]
19.dxe5 Qxe4?
Capablanca overlooks a splendid combination. [Euwe's recommendation was 19...Qc5+ But Lilienthal showed 20.Bf2! (20.Kh1 Qxe5 is equal; 20.Nd4 Nxe5 21.Bxf6 gxf6) 20...Qxe5 21.Bd4 Qe7 22.e5 Nxe5 23.Ng3 0-0 (23...Nfd7 24.f6 gxf6 25.Nh5) 24.Rae1 Nfd7 25.f6 gxf6 26.Nh5 with advantage to White.; Lilienthal thought best was 19...Nxe5 20.Nf4 (20.Bxf6 gxf6 21.Rfd1 Qc5+ 22.Kh1 Qe3 23.Ng3 0-0 is unclear.) 20...Nfd7 21.Rad1 0-0 22.Nd5 with threats of Ne7+ and f5-f6.]
20.exf6!!
'The motif of the queen sacrifice is to exploit the poor position of the enemy king and the undeveloped state of the black pieces. A decisive factor in the attack is the opening of the e-file. In contrast to many similar sacrifices, the black king receives its first check only four moves later.' - Lilienthal
20...Qxc2 21.fxg7 Rg8 22.Nd4
The threat of Rae1+ is deadly.
22...Qe4
[22...Qd2 23.Rae1+ Ne5 24.Rxe5+ Kd7 25.Rd5+ Ke8 26.Re1+ Qxe1+ 27.Bxe1 and White is material ahead and winning.; 22...Qxc3 23.Rae1+ Ne5 24.Rxe5+ Kd7 25.Re7+ Kd6 26.Nb5+ wins the queen.]
23.Rae1 Nc5 24.Rxe4+ Nxe4 25.Re1 Rxg7 26.Rxe4+ Kd7
'Without waiting for my reply, Capablanca smiled and held out his hand, comgratulating me on my win. I couldn't hide the fact that I was happy....' - Lilienthal
The game would have continued 27. Re7+ Kd6 28.f6 followed by Bg3+ when the f7 pawn drops and White wins easily.
1-0