Chess fundamentals

by José Raúl Capablanca

CHESS
FUNDAMENTALS

BY

JOSÉ R. CAPABLANCA

CHESS CHAMPION OF THE WORLD

NEW YORK
HARCOURT, BRACE AND COMPANY
LONDON: G. BELL AND SONS, LTD.

LIST OF CONTENTS

PART I

CHAPTER I

First Principles: Endings, Middle-game and Opennings

PAGE

1.

Some Simple Mates ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

3

2.

Pawn Promotion ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

9

3.

Pawn Endings ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

13

4.

Some Winning Positions in the Middle-game ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

19

5.

Relative Value of the Pieces ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

24

6.

General Strategy of the Opening ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

25

7.

Control of the Centre ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

28

8.

Traps ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

32

CHAPTER II

Further Principles in End-game Play

9.

A Cardinal Principle ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

35

10.

A Classical Ending ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

37

11.

Obtaining a Passed Pawn ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

40

12.

How to find out which Pawn will be the first to Queen ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

41

13.

The Opposition ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

43

14.

The Relative Value of Knight and Bishop ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

50

15.

How to Mate With Knight and Bishop ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

59

16.

Queen against Rook ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

62

CHAPTER III

Planning a Win in Middle-game Play

17.

Attacking without the aid of Knights ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

68

18.

Attacking with Knights as a Prominent Force ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

71

19.

Winning by Indirect Attack ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

72

CHAPTER IV

General Theory

PAGE

20.

The Initiative ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

77

21.

Direct Attacks en massr ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

78

22.

The Force of the Threatened Attack ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

82

23.

Relinquishing the Initiative ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

89

24.

Cutting off Pieces from the Scene of Action ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

94

25.

A Player's Motives Criticised in a Specimen Game ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

99

CHAPTER V

End-game Strategy

26.

The Sudden Attack from a Different Side ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

111

27.

The Danger of a Safe Position ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

120

28.

Endings with one Rook and Pawns ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

127

29.

A Difficult Ending: Two Rooks and Pawns ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

127

30.

Rook, Bishop and Pawns v. Rook, Knight and Pawns ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

138

(A Final Example of preserving Freedom whilst
imposing restraint.)

CHAPTER VI

Furthier Openings and Middle-Games

31.

Some Salient Points about Pawns ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

143

32.

Some Possible Developments from a Ruy Lopez (Showing the weakness of a backward Q B P; the power of a Pawn at K 5, etc.) ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

146

33.

The Influence of a "Hole" ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

150

PART II

ILLUSTRATIVE GAMES

1.

Queen's Gambit Declined (Match, 1909) ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

159

White: F. J. Marshall. Black: J. R. Capablanca.

2.

Queen's Gambit Declined (San Sebastian, 1911) ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

163

White: A. K. Rubinstein. Black: J. R. Capablanca.

3.

Irregular Defence (Havana, 1913) ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

169

White: D. Janowski. Black: J. R. Capablanca.

4.

French Defence (St. Petersburg, 1913) ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

174

White: J. R. Capablanca. Black: E. A. Snosko-Borovski.

5.

Ruy Lopez (St. Petersburg, 1914) ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

181

White: Dr. E. Lasker. Black: J. R. Capablanca.

6.

French Defence (Rice Memorial Tournament, 1916) ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

189

White: 0. Chajes. Black: J. R. Capablanca.

7.

Ruy Lopez (San Sebastian, 1911) ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

197

White: J. R. Capablanca. Black: A. Burn.

8.

Centre Game (Berlin, 1913) ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

201

White: J. Mieses. Black: J. R. Capablanca.

9.

Queen's Gambit Declined (Berlin, 1913) ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

209

White: J. R. Capablanca. Black: R. Teichmann.

10.

Petroff Defence (St. Petersburg, 1914) ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

215

White: J. R. Capablanca. Black: F. J. Marshall.

11.

Ruy Lopez (St. Petersburg, 1914) ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

221

White: J. R. Capablanca. Black: D. Janowski.

12.

French Defence (New York, 1913) ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

225

White: J. R. Capablanca. Black: 0. Chajes.

13.

Ruy Lopez (New York, 1918) ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

231

White: J. S. Morrison. Black: J. R. Capablanca.

14.

Queen's Gambit Declined (New York, 1918) ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

238

White: F. J. Marshall. Black: J. R. Capablanca.