All the Queen's Knights

Submitted by ADK on Sun, 09/20/2009 at 11:30am.

In this game, Jose Capablanca faces off against Angel Arnal in Barcelona, 1935. I want to take the time to analyze the position right after White plays 12. d5 which offers up a free Pawn for Black. What is the great Capablanca thinking? Well, White's mindset when he sacrifices his Pawn is to remove the defender of the h5 and h7 by forcing the guardian of those two squares to e7 after a Bishop-Bishop exchange. We then arrive to a position where Capablanca is about to play a series of stunning moves that will leave Arnal in one sticky mess. So, analyze the position below and play like Capablanca:

Solution & Explanation: Could you find the winning moves in that position? Well, the solution is 14. Bxh7+?! Kxh7 15. Ng5+ Kg8 16. Rxd7?! Qxd7 17. Qh5 Rd8 18. Qxf7+ Kh8 19. h4 Nf5 20. Nh5 Qe8 21. Nf6! 14. Bxh7+?! forces the King out into the open. 15. Ng5+ forces the King back to g8, not h6 or h8, because of 16. Qh5+-. 16. Rxd7?! is a seemingly crazy move, but upon close inspection, the reader may see that this move got rid of the pesky Knight that IF placed on f6 it would throw a wrench into White's plans. 17. Qh5 threatens mate in 1. 18. Qxf7+ takes advantage of the absence of Black's Rook to isolate his King in a corner. 19. h4 takes the pressure off of the Knight on g3 and makes it movable again. 20. Nh5 further entangles Black's position. 21. Nf6! assures that IF 21...gxf6 then [22. Qh7#] or IF 21...Qxf7 then [22. Nxf7#].

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Comments:

by Madison12345 - 1 month ago
McKinney United States

Member Since: Jul 2009
Member Points: 825

You are correct

by Madison12345 - 1 month ago
McKinney United States

Member Since: Jul 2009
Member Points: 825

Ah...

by Soulcrates - 2 months ago
United States

Member Since: Jan 2008
Member Points: 210

Nice sacrifice.

by lubo - 2 months ago
Sofia Bulgaria

Member Since: Sep 2007
Member Points: 458

Comments are very interesting here:

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1242938

by DZisBoss - 2 months ago
Calgary Canada

Member Since: Nov 2008
Member Points: 50

... BTW, ?! means dubious. !? means interesting. So I think you had a little typo there.

The solution was Bh7 (a dubious move). Lol.

sethisrael , if this position is not resign worthy to you, look at the following continuation after 21... Nh6.

21... Nh6

22.Ne8 Nf7

23.Nf7+ Kg8

24.Nd8

White is up a whole piece and a pawn, and can play something like Nc7 and Ne6 to protect both knights.

by lubo - 2 months ago
Sofia Bulgaria

Member Since: Sep 2007
Member Points: 458

Well, ADK you're not wrong... white are wining this game and Sethisrael is also correct... Nf6 is the best defense. Acourding to my computer after Nf6 white are still wining but no mate for white.

by sethisrael - 2 months ago
VA United States

Member Since: Jul 2009
Member Points: 10

Nothing that leaps out to me. Maybe a better player than I can spot something. Sorry.

by ADK - 2 months ago
Santa Clarita, CA United States

Member Since: Aug 2007
Member Points: 16345

Ouch, you are right, sethisrael! I forgot about the Knight on the h6 square and thank you for pointing that miscalculation out. Can you find any moves that would lead to mate if that following variation would have been used?

ADK

by sethisrael - 2 months ago
VA United States

Member Since: Jul 2009
Member Points: 10

"Black did not reply with 21...Nh6 because of 22. Qxe8+ Rxe8 and then Nf7#!"

Don't tell someone they're wrong if your refutation is, itself, wrong. After 21...Nh6, 22. Qxe8+ Rxe8 and then Nf7 is not mate, and definitely doesn't deserve a "!". Black responds with Nxf7, and white is down a minor piece. As it stands, white is in a better position and will be up a pawn after 22. Qxe8+ Rxe8 23. Nxe8. Not resign worthy to me.

by sryiwannadraw - 2 months ago
Austin, Texas United States

Member Since: Mar 2009
Member Points: 155

freaking sweet

by lubo - 2 months ago
Sofia Bulgaria

Member Since: Sep 2007
Member Points: 458

Yes, you're right! My bad :)

by ADK - 2 months ago
Santa Clarita, CA United States

Member Since: Aug 2007
Member Points: 16345

"....21. nh6"--JoeFD

Black did not reply with 21...Nh6 because of 22. Qxe8+ Rxe8 and then Nf7#!

"Why not 14.Qe4! with double threat Qh7 X mate and Qxa8 - winning a rook."

"It seems to me that this is not a Capablancas' game."--lubo

A simple reply would be 14...Nf6 defending mate and after White plays 15. Qxa8 Black would counteract that with 15...Nc6! and the Queen would be trapped and eventually captured.

ADK

by lubo - 2 months ago
Sofia Bulgaria

Member Since: Sep 2007
Member Points: 458

Why not 14.Qe4! with double threat Qh7 X mate and Qxa8 - winning a rook.

It seems to me that this is not a Capablancas' game.

by JoeFD - 2 months ago
Not in this world United States

Member Since: Jul 2009
Member Points: 1

....21. nh6

by robmarsh - 2 months ago
Oklahoma United States

Member Since: Oct 2008
Member Points: 84

Outstanding chess vision by Capablanca

by XandreW - 2 months ago
Samatovci Croatia

Member Since: Jun 2009
Member Points: 21

''He didn't take QxQ because then NxQ+ followed by NXR''

If black takes whites queen, Nf7 is checkmate.

by tushu - 2 months ago
Dhaka Bangladesh

Member Since: Jun 2008
Member Points: 5072

wow.

by GC111 - 2 months ago
K United States

Member Since: Jul 2009
Member Points: 9

"Ddub -

He didn't take QxQ because then NxQ+ followed by NXR"

Wouldn't Black still be winning though?

7. Nh5 Qxf7 8. Nxf7+ Kg8 9. Nxd8 Bd7 10. Nb7 Bc6 11. Nxc5 bxc5 12. Re1 Bd5 13. Nf4 Bxa2 14. h5 Nd4 15. c3 Nc6 {(0:00:17) 352kN}{[%eval -146,13,Rybka 3 1-cpu w32]}
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