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'.
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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.
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