Endgame: Nimzowitsch - Capablanca, Riga 1913

The next example of Capablanca's games 'to be studied', is a textbook case in handling Bishops of opposite colors. I easily found three other references to the game, each of which chose a different start point.

Capablanca played 18...Rhe8 in the diagrammed position and commented,

Notwithstanding the Bishops of opposite colors I did not hesitate to exchange. Those who wish to learn should do well in carefully studying this game. It is one of the finest endings I ever played.

Riga 1913
Capablanca, Jose Raul

Nimzowitsch, Aron
(After 18.Nf3-d2)
[FEN "r6r/ppp2k2/2b2p1p/6p1/3Bn3/2P5/P1PN1PPP/3R1RK1 b - - 0 18"]

The game continued 19.f3 Nxd2 20.Rxd2 Rad8. This is the start point for game no.80 in Kasparov's 'My Great Predecessors, Part I'. Kasparov gave White's next move 21.g4 a '?' and suggested 21.Kf2 Re5 or 21.Rfd1 Rd5.

The position after 21.g4 is the start point for ending no.18 in 'Capablanca's Best Chess Endings' by Irving Chernev. The game continued 21...Bb5 22.Rb1 Ba6 23.Rbd1 Re2 24.Rxe2 Bxe2 25.Re1 Bxf3 26.Rf1 c5 27.Bxf6 Rd1 28.Be5 Rxf1+ 29.Kxf1 Bxg4, which is the start point for position no.212 in Fine's 'Basic Chess Endings'.

There are several other intermediate positions worth analyzing and I'll cover a few of them in future posts. To play through the complete game see...

Aron Nimzowitsch vs Jose Raul Capablanca, Riga 1913
http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1284173

...on Chessgames.com.