Jose Raul Capablanca was born on November 19, 1888 in Cuba.  He learned to play chess at the age of 4 from his father.  He even pointed out an illegal move made by his father and defeated him twice.  At a chess club the same year, he was given the right to compete against the club champion with queen odds and won.

At the age of eight he joined the Havana Chess Club, but was not allowed to play frequently because of a doctor's advice.  He defeated Juan Corzo (the Cuban Chess Champion) in a match while he was still a youth.  In 1905 Capablanca, quite without difficulty, passed entrance exams into the Columbia University, having the desire to join their strong baseball team.  He joined the Manhattan chess club the same year and was speedily recognized as the strongest player.  Capablanca was particularly gifted in rapid chess, dominating tournaments and even winning one ahead of Emanuel Lasker in 1906.

In 1910, as a young adult, the Cuban went undefeated in the New York State Championship, and became known for his rather cautious, yet simple play.  After finishing with remarkable scores and victories at many tournaments, he was considered a serious world title contender.  In 1911, Lasker accepted a challenge from Capablanca for the World Chess Championship, but Capa did not agree to certain conditions that favored Lasker, and the match was called off.

In September 1913, he received a job at the Cuban Foreign Office, and he was financially in good condition for the rest of his life.  In January 1920, Capablanca and Lasker both signed an agreement to play a World Championship Match in 1921.  On June 27, 1920, Lasker resigned his title to Capablanca, saying that "You have not won the title by the formality of your challenge, but by your brilliant mastery".  The Cuban convinced Lasker to play, but only on the condition that his resignation would be in effect, and he would be regarded as the challenger.  Capablanca won the title with a score of 9 to 5 in his favor.

As World Chess Champion, Capablanca was known for his extremely precise, simple, and yet blindingly fast play.  This, combined with his near flawless endgame technique, made him known as the "Human Chess Machine".  In 1925, he played a simultaneous exhibition, winning nearly every game but one, against a 12 year old boy.  Capablanca said, "This boy will go far".  That boy was Mikhail Botvinnik.

Nimzowitsch was the first to challenge Capablanca for his title, and the World Champion gave him until January 1st to to deposit a forfeit in order to arrange a match.  Alekhine had challenged after Nimzowitsch, and when the latter failed to meet the deadline, a Capablanca-Alekhine match was agreed upon to be held in 1927.  Although Capablanca was a heavy favorite, Alekhine won the match with a score of 6 to 3 in his favor.

Capablanca had a decline in his chess play, and partially retired, only to come back to chess in the 30s, but did not get a chance to play a rematch with Alekhine despite tremendous efforts.  He died on March 7, 1942, the cause being labeled as "a cerebral haemorrhage provoked by hypertension".  Alekhine made a tribute to Capablanca, saying, "...Capablanca was snatched from the chess world much too soon.  With his death, we have lost a very great chess genius whose like we shall never see again."