I spoke with the man who told me the story, and he said he also found it in a book, and that he didn't remember what book it was. The link to the 1927-match was one he made up himself, and was not in the original story. It is brilliant though, because it gives the story a purpose. It serves well in teaching children important rules before tournaments. :D

magista: In the version I have heard, events occured in 1925, and the position involved a promotion...

Hi Magista, many thanks for the input. I hadn't realised the story had been related to an actual game. I read the story in an old book of chess anecdotes and am almost certain there was no reference to a game.

I'm grateful for the link. The finish was brilliant and you can only imagine Capa's chagrin at the position when interposing one of his queens didn't help a bit.

Great stuff!

In the version I have heard, events occured in 1925, and the position involved a promotion, that is, the devil would be able to promote a pawn if he hadn't touched the king. The devil did move the king, and the game ended with Capablanca offering a draw. Then the devil was so furious he sweeped the pieces of the board and rushed for the door. Before he left he turned and shouted in a roaring voice: I assure you, senor Capablanca, that is not the last time you see this position! 2 Years later the exact same position occured in round 11 in Buenos Aires, Capablanca vs Alekhine. And since Capablanca couldn't fool Alekhine to touch the king, the promotion went ahead, and he resigned a couple of moves after. The WC in Buenos Aires took the world reign from Capablanca, and then Alekhine ruled the scene from '27-'35 and again from '37 until his death in 1946.

You can see the position here: http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1270221 It was after 64. a7 Capablanca asked the devil to prove himself leading to the rule of the touched piece.

littlehotpot:  thats a great story. where did you hear it

I don't remember exactly, lhp. It was in a book of chess folklore I read around 30 years ago, but I don't recall the title or the author.

My other blog "Capa Goes to Hollywood" was in the same collection.

thats a great story. where did you hear it

ChessisBoring: Whew - scary stuff, the devil being an (evil) angel could do anything he pleases, once capa agreed to play... it would have been all over. 

I suppose one of the attractions of writing stories is that the author gets to play God to his characters, and any story teller worth his salt would make sure his hero had an ace or two up his sleeve ... so Capa was pretty safe.

The most recent story in the genre was probably the movie Ghost Rider when the good guy got to beat the devil at his own game ... and burnt up half of the USA while he was doing it. 

Whew - scary stuff, the devil being an (evil) angel could do anything he pleases, once capa agreed to play... it would have been all over.

MilwaukeeMike:  Bobby was strange of course and the truth about his mental/emotional difficulties would make for a believable story.

Hi Mike.  You have a point and, in a sense, it's already been done.   The Luzhin Defence takes a sympathetic look at the life of a mentally troubled young chess genius and could well represent Fischer, Morphy or a number of other players who have fallen through the cracks.  If you haven't seen it, it's worth viewing ... although I'm not sure I'd want to sit through it a second time.

BTW, just read your bio and couldn't help thinking that, for somebody with your family name, you've chosen a particularly appropriate vocation.  I wonder if you're missing a "von"?

Good story about another great human beating the Devil.  Bobby Fischer made chess popular to Americans in the 50's and 60's because he was a young genius and a great hope for the nation during the cold war era.  Perhaps someone could create an interesting story about how Bobby Fischer lost by default to Spassky because he refused to play by the rules already in  place.  Bobby was strange of course and the truth about his mental/emotional difficulties would make for a believable story.

davejitsu:  I do not believe however a game between Fischer and Capa could have taken place since Fischer could not  have agreed to rules. Fischer was always bristly, often with good reason ... but the deterioration in his personality was a tragedy of modern chess.  Perhaps a younger Fischer would have been more amenable.

Batgirl:  The story of Paolo Boi and the She-Devil, along with an 1896 sketch by V. Barthe can be found here.  Entertaining story, Batgirl.  I hadn't heard it.  The flip-flop with the colour of the queens is a nice touch.

There's another story that I read at the same time as the "Devil match" story which had Capa, impersonating a wide-eyed country boy playing against a movie director (well, a guy who was part of the studio hierarchy, but perhaps not a director) who, not knowing his opponent, was impersonating Capablanca.  Once again I'd have to depend on my memory reaching back to about 1975.  I'm reluctant to post the story because, if it had been written in 2008, I'd suspect it of being an Internet myth.  There were a couple of things in it that could be true but seem just a little bit iffy. 

I might post a version of it in a couple of weeks if nobody comes up with  it first.  If it's been forgotten it should be reinstated as part of our chess lore.

Thank you for the story  History of all types is fun for me Especially by a good story teller!.  I do not believe however a game between Fischer and Capa could have taken place since Fischer could not  have agreed to rules. Though clearly Capa would have agreed to even the simplest of rules.  10K to charity  And Thank you for your research and story

I had never heard the tale of Capa and the Devil.  Thanks. It was both clever and entertaining, not to mention finely recounted.

I'm not sure where rumors of a similar story regarding Ruy Lopez came from, but most likely it has been confused with the more well-known legend of Paolo Boi and the She-Devil.  Paolo Boi traveled to Spain with his protoge, Leonardo di Bono and his protoge, Giulio Cesare Polerio, where they defeated Ruy Lopez and Alphoso Ceron easily and decisively in a tournament. The story of Paolo Boi and the She-Devil, along with an 1896 sketch by V. Barthe can be found here.

HappyHung:  What an amazing story? Unbelievable? Yes. I am also unfamiliar witht he Ruy Lopez story and am hoping to find it!

What you need to remember, HappyHung, is that I have a PhD in bulldust.  I have a licence to tell lies!

What an amazing story? Unbelievable? Yes. I am also unfamiliar witht he Ruy Lopez story and am hoping to find it!

mathijs:  I'm unfamiliar with the Ruy Lopez thrashing

Sorry, Mathijs, so am I.  I was, in fact, quoting the story from memory and there's been a lot of water under the bridge since then.  I  can tell you that the Lopez comment is a fairly accurate recollection of the way the original story ended.  I'm hoping somebody else knows the story and can fill in anything I've missed.

Nice story. I'm unfamiliar with the Ruy Lopez thrashing. If you find the time, I look forward to a blog of yours on that, Dozy.

Aaryaa:  That was a good story. Chess's got its own legends! And, with the help of the Internet, more legends are being created day by day.

amac7079:  why spoil a good story with facts? the secret of all recorded history! You're a cynic, Andrew, but you're not wrong!  Given the manipulations of our modern spin doctors, and the media they have to work with, I wonder how the events of my own lifetime will appear in history books.  And if I was writing that history myself, I wonder how much of it I would actually be able to verify...

Good point, GreenLaser.  Thanks.  I shouldn't have left the ending in doubt  and have added a line that should clarify it.

The way you remembered the story, you did not say the Devil moved the king. Perhaps, in the story you read decades ago, he did move the king, lose the game, and then vanish. There would seem to be a logic to the Devil having to respect the touch move rule. In obtaining a soul, the Devil is portrayed as not using force, but human nature and deception. If this method is necessary, sticking to the letter of the agreement should also be necessary.