Alekhine-Capablanca
Amsterdam, 11/19/1938 (Capablanca's 50th birthday)
AVRO Tournament Round 9
French Defense [C06]
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. Bd3 c5 6. c3 Nc6 7. Ne2 Qb6 8. Nf3 cxd4 9. cxd4 Bb4+?! [9. ... f6 is better. - Kasparov] 10. Kf1!? [This leads to more spirited play, whereas after 10. Bd2 Black can force the exchange of queens. - Alekhine] Be7 [10. ... f6; Spielmann-Stolz 1930] 11. a3 Nf8 [11. ... O-O 12. h4! - Euwe; 11. ... a5!? - ECO] 12. b4 Bd7 13. Be3 Nd8?! [13. ... Rc8 - Panov; 13. ... f5 - Kotov] 14. Nc3 a5 [Kasparov and Alekhine give this move a ?! but suggest nothing better. ECO also provides no alternative move here.] 15. Na4! Qa7 16. b5 b6 17. g3 f5 18. Kg2 [±, ECO] Nf7 19. Qd2! h6 20. h4 Nh7 21. h5! Nfg5 22. Nh4 Ne5 23. Qb2 Kf7?! [23. ... O-O - Kotov] 24. f3 Neg5 25. g4 fxg4 26. Bg6+! Kg8 27. f4! Nf3 28. Bxh7+! Rxh7 29. Ng6 Bd8 30. Rac1! Be8 31. Kg3! Qf7 32. Kxg4 Nh4 33. Nxh4 Qxh5+ 34. Kg3 Qf7 35. Nf3. In this lost position, Capablanca lost on time. [Capa was clearly getting slower as he aged; the only other occasion on which he ever lost on time was in Moscow 1935.]
This game constitutes the only time that Alekhine beat Capablanca outside their 1927 match. It's also the last time these two chess giants met over the board (they both participated in the Buenos Aires 1939 Chess Olympiad but did not face each other), with Capa retiring from professional chess due to ill health just 10 months after this game.
The final tally between these two players was Capablanca 9 wins, Alekhine 7 wins and 33 draws.
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