José Raúl Capablanca

José Raúl Capablanca y Graupera (November 19, 1888 - March 8, 1942) was a Cuban world-class chess player in the early to mid-twentieth century. He held the title of world chess champion from 1921 to 1927.

Chess career

Early years

Referred to by many chess historians as the Mozart of chess, Capablanca was a chess prodigy whose brilliance was noted at an early age.

Related Topics:
Mozart - Chess prodigy

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According to Capablanca, he learned the rules of the game at the age of four by watching his father play. He said he noticed his father make an illegal move with his knight, accused him of cheating, and then demonstrated what he had done. It may be unlikely that he learned all the subtleties of en passant pawn capture, castling rules, and underpromotion by observation alone, since some of the positions which demonstrate the rules are uncommon. (Viktor Korchnoi, in his 1974 Candidates final match with Anatoly Karpov, famously asked the arbiter if castling was legal when the castling rook was under attack ? it is.)

Related Topics:
En passant - Castling - Underpromotion - Viktor Korchnoi - Candidates - Anatoly Karpov

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Capablanca was taken to the Havana Chess Club when he was five, where the leading players found it impossible to beat the young boy, even with the handicap of a queen. At the age of 13, he defeated Cuban national champion Juan Corzo by the score of 4 wins, 3 losses, and 6 draws.

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Rapid rise

In 1909, at the age of 20, Capablanca won a match against US champion Frank Marshall. Marshall insisted that Capablanca play in a tournament at San Sebastian, Spain in 1911. It was one of the strongest tournaments of the time. All of the world's leading players except world champion Emmanuel Lasker were in attendance. At the beginning of the tournament Ossip Bernstein and Aaron Nimzowitsch objected to Capablanca's presence because he had not won a major tournament. But after Capablanca won his first round game against Bernstein, with an effort which was to win the tournament's brilliancy prize,http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1264025 Bernstein quickly acknowleged Capablanca's talent and said that he wouldn't be surprised if Capablanca won the tournament. Nimzowitsch took offense when Capablanca made a comment while watching one of his blitz games, and remarked that unproven players should hold their tongue in the presence of their betters. Capablanca quickly challenged Nimzowitsch to a series of fast games, which he won easily. The assembled masters soon concluded that Capablanca had no equal at fast chess, a distinction which was to remain his until virtually the end of his life. Capablanca went on to win his tournament game with Nimzowitsch as well, using an opening setup much admired by Mikhail Botvinnik.http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1102350 By tournament's end, Capablanca had astounded the chess world by taking first place at San Sebastian, with a score of +6 -1 =7, ahead of Akiba Rubinstein, Carl Schlechter and Siegbert Tarrasch.

Related Topics:
Frank Marshall - San Sebastian - Spain - Emmanuel Lasker - Ossip Bernstein - Aaron Nimzowitsch - Mikhail Botvinnik - Akiba Rubinstein - Carl Schlechter - Siegbert Tarrasch

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In 1911, Capablanca challenged Emanuel Lasker for the world championship. Lasker accepted his challenge but proposed seventeen conditions for the match. Capablanca disapproved of some of the conditions and the match did not take place.

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In 1913, Capablanca played in his home town of Havana and came second to Marshall, and lost one of their individual games after having a much better position.http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1001096 Reuben Fine claimed that Capablanca had the mayor clear all the spectators so they wouldn't see him resign, and this story has uncritically circulated around the Internet. However, Winter's book below (pp. 47–48) documents that Fine's story has no basis whatever. Instead, there were 600 spectators present, who naturally favored their native hero, but sportingly gave Marshall "thunderous applause". Marshall's own notes corroborated this—when he heard the roar, he thought that the crowd were going to kill him, and he asked for security escort "and quickly rushed over to my hotel. Afterwards I was told they were cheering for me."

Related Topics:
Havana - Marshall - Reuben Fine

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Then he scored +13 -0 =0 in a tournament in New York, although Oldrich Duras was the only International Grandmaster class opponent.

Related Topics:
Oldrich Duras - International Grandmaster

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In September 1913, Capablanca secured a job in the Cuban Foreign Office. He appears not to have had any specific duties other than playing chess, but what he had he was reported to have carried out conscientiously. For many years, he was the most famous Cuban alive.

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Then he played in a series of matches in Europe against some of the top players of his day. In Berlin, he defeated Jacques Mieses and Richard Teichmann; in Moscow, he played a six-game series, two games against Alexander Alekhine, Eugene Znosko-Borovsky and Fyodor Dus-Khotimirsky, losing once to Znosko-Borovsky and winning the rest—his first encounters with Alekhine, who was outclassed;http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1011878,http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1011876 then in Vienna he defeated both Richard Réti and Savielly Tartakower 1.5-0.5 each. Then he beat Bernstein in Moscow in a game listed in many anthologies as a brilliancy for winning move ...Qb2!! and for the new strategy with hanging pawns,http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1261680 and defeated Nimzowitsch in an elegant opposite-colored bishop endgame.http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1284173 Capablanca also gave many simultaneous exhibitions noted for their speed and very high winning scores.

Related Topics:
Jacques Mieses - Richard Teichmann - Alexander Alekhine - Eugene Znosko-Borovsky - Fyodor Dus-Khotimirsky - Vienna - Richard Réti - Savielly Tartakower - Hanging pawn - Bishop - Endgame

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At the great 1914 tournament in St. Petersburg, with most of the world's leading players (except those of the Austro-Hungarian empire), Capablanca met the great Lasker across the chessboard for the first time in normal tournament play (Capablanca had won a knock-out lightning chess final game in 1906, leading to a famous joint endgame composition). Capablanca took the large lead of one and a half points in the preliminary rounds, and made Lasker fight hard to draw http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1258183,http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1258182. He again won the first brilliancy prize against Bernstein http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1260576 and had some highly regarded wins against David Janowskyhttp://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1064762, Nimzowitschhttp://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1102386 and Alekhine.http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1011923

Related Topics:
Austro-Hungarian empire - Lasker - Lightning chess - David Janowsky

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However, Capablanca fell victim to a comeback by Lasker in the second stage of the tournament, including a famous victory by Lasker.http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1258181 Capablanca finished second to Lasker with a score of 13 points to Lasker's 13.5, but ahead of third-placed Alexander Alekhine. After this tournament, Tsar Nicholas II proclaimed the five prize-winners (Lasker, Capablanca, Alekhine, Tarrasch, Marshall) as "Grandmasters of Chess".

Related Topics:
Lasker - Alexander Alekhine - Tsar Nicholas II - Grandmasters of Chess

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World Champion

In 1920, Lasker saw that Capablanca was becoming too strong, and resigned the title to him, saying, "You have earned the title not by the formality of a challenge, but by your brilliant mastery." Capablanca wanted to win it in a match, but Lasker insisted that he was now the challenger. They played a match in Havana in 1921, and Capablanca defeated Lasker +4 -0 =10. This feat of winning the world title without losing a game to the incumbent went unequalled for almost eight decades, until Vladimir Kramnik's win over Garry Kasparov +2 -0 =13 in 2000.

Related Topics:
Vladimir Kramnik - Garry Kasparov

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The new world champion, Capablanca dominated the field at London, 1922. There was an increasing number of strong chess players and it was felt that the world champion should not be able to evade challenges to his title, as had been done in the past. At this tournament, some of the leading players of the time including Alexander Alekhine, Efim Bogoljubov, Geza Maroczy, Richard Réti, Akiba Rubinstein, Ksawery Tartakower and Milan Vidmar, met to discuss rules for the conduct of future world championships. Amongst other things, one of the conditions proposed by Capablanca was that the challenger would have to raise at least ten thousand dollars for the prize money.

Related Topics:
Alexander Alekhine - Efim Bogoljubov - Geza Maroczy - Richard Réti - Akiba Rubinstein - Ksawery Tartakower - Milan Vidmar

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In the following years, Rubinstein and Nimzowitsch challenged Capablanca but were unable to raise the stipulated funds. Alekhine's subsequent challenge, in 1927, was backed by a group of Argentinian businessmen and the president of Argentina who guaranteed the funds.

Related Topics:
Rubinstein - Nimzowitsch - Alekhine - Argentina

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Capablanca was second behind Lasker in New York 1924, and again ahead of third-placed Alekhine. He was third behind Efim Bogoljubov and Lasker in Moscow 1925. But he dominated the 6-player match tournament in New York 1927, not losing a game and 2.5 points ahead of Alekhine.

Related Topics:
Efim Bogoljubov - Alekhine

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As World Champion, Capablanca also underwent major changes in his personal life. In December 1921, he married Gloria Simoni Betancourt. They had a son, José Raúl, in 1923 and a daughter, Gloria, in 1925, but the marriage ended in divorce. He also lost both parents.

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Losing the title

Capablanca had overwhelming success in New York 1927, a quadruple-round robin with six of the world's top players. Capa was undefeated and three points ahead of the second-placed Alekhine. Capa also crushed Alekhine in their first game,http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1012524 won the first brilliancy prize against Rudolf Spielmann and won fine two fine games against Aron Nimzowitsch.

Related Topics:
Round robin - Alekhine - Rudolf Spielmann - Aron Nimzowitsch

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This made him the presumptive and prohibitive favorite for his match with Alekhine, who had never defeated him, later that year. However, the challenger had prepared brilliantly, and played with remarkable patience and solidity, and the marathon match proved to be Capablanca's undoing. Capa lost the first game in very lacklustre fashion,http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1012486 then took a narrow lead by winning games 3http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1012490 and 7http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1012487?brilliant attacking games more in the style of Alekhine?but then lost games 11http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1270221 and 12.http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1012498 He tried to get Alekhine to annul the match when both players were locked in a series of draws. Alekhine refused, and eventually prevailed +6 -3 =25.

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Alekhine refused to play a return match, even though doing so had been a pre-condition of the match. Instead, Alekhine played two matches against Efim Bogoljubov, a fine player, but one who posed no great threat in a long match. (Capablanca had a 5-0 lifetime record against him). Throughout his tenure as champion, Alekhine refused to play in the same tournaments as Capablanca.

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Post-championship

After Capablanca lost the title, he won a number of strong tournaments, hoping that his showing would force Alekhine to grant him a rematch, but it was not to be. In 1931 Capablanca defeated the fine Dutch player Max Euwe +2 -0 =8. Then he withdrew from serious chess, and played only less serious games at the Manhattan Chess Club and simultaneous displays. Reuben Fine recalls that in this period he could fight on almost level terms with Alekhine at blitz chess, but that Capablanca beat him "mercilessly" the few times they played.

Related Topics:
Max Euwe - Simultaneous displays - Reuben Fine - Blitz chess

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In 1934, Capablanca resumed serious play. He had begun dating Olga Chagodayev, whom he married in 1938, and she inspired him to play again. In 1935, Alekhine, plagued by problems with alcohol, lost his title to Euwe. Capablanca had renewed hopes of regaining his title, and he won Moscow 1936, ahead of Botvinnik and Lasker. Then he tied with Botvinnik in the super-tournament of Nottingham 1936, ahead of Euwe, Lasker, Alekhine, and the leading young players.

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This was Capablanca's first game with Alekhine since their great match, and the Cuban did not miss his chance to avenge that defeat.http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1008348 He had the worse position, but caught Alekhine in such a deep trap, allowing him to win the exchange, that none of the other players could work out where Alekhine went wrong, except Lasker who immediately saw the mistake. Capablanca recounted this episode in Capablanca's Legacy: Capablanca's Last Chess Lectures, pp. 111?112, expressing his admiration for Lasker, but didn't mention his opponent. Their feud was still intense, so they were never seen seated together at the board for more than a few seconds. Each man made his move and then got up and walked round.

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In 1937, Euwe, unlike Alekhine with respect to Capablanca, fulfilled his obligation to allow Alekhine a return match. Alekhine gave up drinking, prepared well and easily regained the title. Thereafter there was little hope for Capablanca to regain his title, and Alekhine played no more world championship matches till the time of his death in 1946. The absolute control of the title by the title-holder was a major impetus for FIDE to take control of it, and try to ensure that the best challenger has a shot at the title.

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Capablanca's health took a turn for the worse. He suffered a small stroke during the AVRO tournament of 1938, and had the worst result of his career, 7th out of 8. But even at this stage of his career he was capable of producing strong results. In the 1939 Chess Olympiad in Buenos Aires, he made the best score on top board for Cuba, ahead of Alekhine and Paul Keres.

Related Topics:
Chess Olympiad - Buenos Aires - Paul Keres

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On 7 March 1942, he was happily kibitzing a skittles game at Manhattan Chess Club in New York when he collapsed from a stroke. He was taken to Mount Sinai hospital, where he died the next morning. Remarkably, the Cuban's great rival, German-born Emanuel Lasker, had died in that very hospital only a year earlier.

Related Topics:
Kibitz - New York - Stroke - Mount Sinai hospital - Emanuel Lasker

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His bitter rival Alekhine wrote on Capablanca's death, "With his death, we have lost a very great chess genius whose like we shall never see again."

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