Daily News

MARK RUBERY CHESS

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Four years before Nicholas the 2nd was executed along with his family in a basement in Ekaterinbu­rg, the last Russian Tsar was to make an indelible mark on the game of chess. In 1914 Nicholas subscribed 1000 roubles towards the prize fund of the 1914 St Petersburg tournament, which was sufficient inducement to attract the strongest players in the world at that time.

Emanual Lasker was the current World Champion and had not played a game in the previous five years. He was expected to be seriously challenged by Jose Capablanca, who was just making his spectacula­r appearance on the chess scene and Akiba Rubinstein the winner of five successive tournament­s, who many thought was the strongest player then alive. Other participan­ts included Alexander Alekhine, Siegbert Tarrasch, Aron Nimzovich, Frank Marshall, Joseph Blackburne and David Janowski. With three rounds of the 21 round tournament remaining, Capablanca held a commanding lead and it was then that he lost a famous game to Lasker after some astute psychology and fine endgame technique. The next round Capablanca blundered in the opening against the aging Tarrasch, allowing Lasker to overtake the Cuban and score a distinguis­hed victory.

At the closing banquet the Tsar named the following five players- Lasker, Capablanca, Alekhine, Tarrasch and Marshall as Grandmaste­rs of Chess. This was the first time the title was officially used and recognised.

Lasker,emanuel - Capablanca,jose Raul [C68]

St Petersburg f St Petersburg, 1914

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bxc6 dxc6 5.d4 exd4 6.Qxd4 (Needing a win Lasker surprised his opponent by playing a quiet line of the Ruy Lopez)…qxd4 7.Nxd4 Bd6 8.Nc3 Ne7 9.0–0 0–0 10.f4 Re8 11.Nb3 f6 12.f5! (Impeding Black’s pieces at the cost of the e5 square)… b6 13.Bf4 Bb7?! 14.Bxd6! (The undoubling of the pawns was not seriously considered by Capablanca and after a few more inaccuraci­es his position, almost impercepti­bly, is lost)…cxd6 15.Nd4 Rad8 16.Ne6 Rd7 17.Rad1 Nc8 18.Rf2 b5 19.Rfd2 Rde7 20.b4 Kf7 21.a3 Ba8 22.Kf2 Ra7 23.g4 h6 24.Rd3 a5 25.h4 axb4 26.axb4 Rae7 27.Kf3 Rg8 28.Kf4 g6 29.Rg3 g5+ 30.Kf3 Nb6 31.hxg5 hxg5 32.Rh3 Rd7 33.Kg3 Ke8 34.Rdh1 Bb7 35.e5! (Lasker finishes with a final clearance sacrifice when White’s knight will reach e4 with multiple winning threats. Black’s congested pieces make a sorry impression-pritchett)….dxe5 36.Ne4 Nd5 37.N6c5 Bc8 38.Nxd7 Bxd7 39.Rh7 Rf8 40.Ra1 Kd8 41.Ra8+ Bc8 42.Nc5 1–0

Our game is just too difficult for ordinary intelligen­t people. – Jan Hein Donner

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