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José Raúl Capablanca

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"In order to improve your game, you must study the endgame before everything else, for whereas the endings can be studied and mastered by themselves, the middle game and the opening must be studied in relation to the endgame."

Index

Personal Background
Match/ Tours/ Tournament History
Game philosophy
Literary contributions
Other activities
Quotes
Games
Research references and credits
Revision history
Further reading

Personal Background

 
bulletJosé Raúl Capablanca  (1888-1942) was born in Cuba, the second surviving son of an army officer.
bulletCapablanca learned the moves at 4 years old by watching his father play. 
bulletCapablanca refused to study chess and he never read chess books or studied chess openings. Becoming the World Champion despite this is evidence that he was possibly one of the greatest natural chess players that ever lived.

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Matches /Tours/ Tournament History

Introduction

Capablanca has a fantastic tournament and match record. He played in 29 strong tournaments, winning or sharing 15 first and 9 second prizes. 

In match, team match, and tournament play from 1909 to 1939 he scored +318=249-34, and he is known to have played 42 exhibition games (+38=4) and 32 consultation games (+22=9). 

No other master sustained so few losses. Spectacularly, he did not lose a single game from 1916 to 1924, leading him to be dubbed as a "chess machine". 

Capablanca exploited some good opportunities early in his chess career which maximised his visibility on the chess scene. The match against Marshall for example, which he won so convincingly, was a brilliant stepping stone into the chess limelight. 

This led to an invitation to play in the San Sebastian tournament of 1911. In 1913, he obtained a post in the Cuban Foreign Office, thus taking the pressure from him for the need to earn a living from chess. He was simply to be a figurehead for his country, which he fitted the part very well. 

Year Description and implications Result
1901 Informal match with Juan Corzo 

Capablanca's wins:-

Corzo y Principe,J - Capablanca,J 0-1
Corzo y Principe,J - Capablanca,J 0-1
Capablanca,J - Corzo y Principe,J 1-0
Capablanca,J - Corzo y Principe,J 1-0

Capablanca wrote in "My Chess Career":-

Some of my admirers thought that I should have a good chance of beating J.Corzo. They attributed my defeats to the fact that I had never seen a chess book and urged me to study. One of them gave me several books, among which, one on endings. I liked the endings and studied some of them. Meanwhile, the match with Corzo was arranged; the winner of the first four games - draws not counting - would be declared the victor. I began to play with the conviction that my adversary was superior to me; he knew all the openings and I knew none; he knew many of the games of the great masters by heart, things of which I had no knowledge whatever; besides, he had played many a match and had the experience and all the tricks that go along with it, while I was a novice. The first two games were won quickly by him, but something in the third which was a draw, showed me that he had weaknesses and gave me the necessary courage and confidence. From there on he did not win a single game, and only scored five more draws before I won the four required. The victory made me morally at least, the champion of Cuba. I was then twelve years old. I had played without any book knowledge of the openings; the match gave me a better idea of them. I became more proficient in the middlegame and decidedly strong once the queens were exchanged...

Capablanca won (+4=6-2)
1st national championship 4th place
(Corzo 1st)
1906 Columbia University term holidays, Capablanca spent much time at the Manhattan chess club where he played hundreds of games against New York's top players.

Capablanca notes in My Chess Career:

"After two years, in the course of which I had done a great deal of physical sport, I left the University and dedicated most of my time to chess. During these two years I played many a serious game, mostly in summer, against the strongest players of the Manhattan Chess Club, and as one by one I mowed them down without the loss of a single game my superiority became apparent..."

 
1908-9 Eight week tour of Chess Clubs in the United States. He broke all records both by results and the speed of his simultaneous play. He played 168 games in ten consecutive sessions before losing his first game. Altogether, his score was 703 wins, 19 draws, and 12 losses.

Capablanca notes in My Chess Career:

"In the winter of 1908-1909 I decided to make a tour of the States. It lasted about eight weeks. On that occasion I broker all the records for simultaneous chess. After leaving New York, in ten consecutive séances, I made a clean score, winning 168 games before I lost one out of the twenty-two in Minneapolis. However I had the satisfaction on that occasion of beating the strongest players in the State of Minnesota, including Mr. E.F. Elliott, the then champion of the Western Chess Association. As to the rapidity of play, in one instance, in Hoboken, I played twenty-eight games in one hour and forty minutes, losing only after having refused a draw.."

(+703=19-12)
1909 Frank Marshall match

Decisive games from the match:-

Capablanca,J - Marshall,F 1-0
Marshall,F - Capablanca,J 0-1
Capablanca,J - Marshall,F 1-0
Marshall,F - Capablanca,J 1-0
Capablanca,J - Marshall,F 1-0
Marshall,F - Capablanca,J 0-1
Capablanca,J - Marshall,F 1-0
Marshall,F - Capablanca,J 0-1
Marshall,F - Capablanca,J 0-1
PGN download here

Capablanca notes in My Chess Career:

No difficulty arranging the match. Marshall was disposed to play in this case where he naturally discounted his victory. How far he was wrong the result proved. I beat him eight to one with 14 draws thrown in between. I can safely say that no player ever performed such a feat, as it was my first encounter against a master, and such a master, one of the first ten in the whole world. The most surprising feature of all this was that I played without having ever opened a book to study the openings; in fact, had Marshall played such things as the Danish Gambits, Vienna openings, or the like, the result might have been different. I certainly should have experienced more difficulty in obtaining a result. I had only looked up analysis of the Ruy Lopez by Lasker, on the P-KB4 defence, but the analysis was wrong, as it did not give the strongest continuation for Black. This, and whatever I knew from experience or heresay, was all my stock of knowledge for the match. My victory put me at once in the foremost rank among the great masters of the game. The play during the match showed that I was weak in the openings and just about strong enough in the simple play for position. My great strength lay in the end game, and I also excelled in combinations of the middle game. I had a fine judgement as to whether a given position was won or lost, and was able to defend a difficult position as few players could, as I repeatedly demonstrated during the course of the match, in repulsing Marshall's onslaughts. I may add that my style was not as yet either definite or complete, thought it had a wide range, i.e. I could attack almost as well as I could defend, and could make combinations in the middlegame nearly as well as play the endings where I felt more at home and was decidedly strongest..."

(+8=14-1)
1910-11 3rd tour of the United States ending in a tournament in New York

Capablanca notes in My Chess Career:

"In the winter of 1910-1911 I made another tour of the U.S. A tournament was arranged in New York, which I entered with the idea of practicing for the coming tournament at San Sebastian. The New York tournament started in January. I rode on a train twenty-seven hours straight from Indianapolis, the last city of my tournée, to New York. I arrived at nine in the morning and had to start at eleven the same day, and play ever day thereafter. I was so fatigued that I played badly during the first part of the tournament. Half of it was over and I was yet in fifth place, though the only opponent of real calibre was Marshall. I finally began to play better, and by winning five consecutive games finished second to Marshall..."

2nd (+8=1-3) to Marshall 
25 Mar 1911 - 13 April 1911 1st Europe Tour

Places visited include Paris, Frankfurt, Nuremberg, Munich, Berlin, Hamburg, Cologn and Paris

(+234=33-19)
1911 San Sebastian

Winning a major tournament at his 1st attempt is a distinction he shares only with Pillsbury!

Drama and Implications

The San Sebastian Tournament of 1911 was historic for two main reasons. Firstly it was only at the last minute, Capablanca was invited to the tournament - his first International Chess Tournament. 

Secondly Nimzowitch complained that such a weak player as Capablanca should not have been invited. Capablanca not only beat Nimzowitch in the first round, but won the tournament! This made Capablanca the most serious contender to challenge Lasker's world title.

San Sebastian decisive games

Capablanca,J - Bernstein,O 1-0 (won brilliancy prize)
Capablanca,J - Burn,A 1-0
Capablanca,J - Janowsky,D 1-0
Leonhardt,P - Capablanca,J 0-1
Nimzowitsch,A - Capablanca,J 0-1
Capablanca,J - Spielmann,R 1-0
Rubinstein,A - Capablanca,J 1-0
PGN download here

1st prize (+6=7-1) ahead of Rubenstein, Vidmar, Schlechter
4 sep 1911- 12 dec 1911 2nd Europe Tour

Places visited include Rotterdam, Liden, Middleburg, Hauge, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Hamburg, Berlin, Breslau, Allenstein, Prague, Budapest, Vienna, Stuttgart, Mannheim, Frankfurt, Paris, City of London CC, London, Birmingham

(+532=66-54)
Nov 1911 Capablanca challenged the World champion Lasker. Lasker replied with 17 conditions. Some of these conditions were:-
bulletThe match to be the 1st to win 6 games, draws not counting, and to consist of no more than 30 games in total
bulletIf after 30 games, either play should lead by 3 point eg 3:2, 2:1, or 1:0, then the match should be declared drawn and Lasker would retain the title.
bulletLasker would give four weeks notice for the date of the start of the match and two weeks notice if he decided to change the venue
bulletThe time limit to be 12 moves an hour
bulletThe playing sessions to be no longer than two and a half hours

Capablanca did not like some of the proposed conditions, and as a result Lasker broke off and refused to renew negotiations.

 
1913 New York 1st (+13)
Oct 1913 to March 1914 3rd European tour

On Capablanca's way to the Consulate at St Petersburg, Capablanca did a European tour. He visited London, Paris, Berlin, Warsaw, Riga, Lenningrad, Moscow, Kiev, and Vienna demonstrating an astonishing skill at simultaneous chess, usually with a record crowd of spectators. 

These 24 games were against the best masters of Europe: Alekhine, Bernstein, Bogoljubow, Bogatirchuk, Levenfish, Duz Hotimirsky, Mieses,  Nimzowitsch, Reti, Salwe, Tartakower, Teichmann and others.

(+19=4-1) for matches against masters

(+769=91-86) for simultaneous displays

 

1914 New York

An impressive 11 straight wins

Capablanca,J - Grommer,W 1-0
Capablanca,J - Bernstein,J 1-0
Capablanca,J - Adair,J 1-0
Capablanca,J - Chajes,O 1-0
Capablanca,J - Benyon,F 1-0
Capablanca,J - Black,R 1-0
Capablanca,J - Kupchik,A 1-0
Capablanca,J - Phillips,F 1-0
Duras,O - Capablanca,J 0-1
Tenenwurzel,I - Capablanca,J 0-1
Marder,W - Capablanca,J 0-1
Download PGN here

1st (+11)
1914 St Petersburg (about category 13)

Capablanca did not lose a game for the next 10 years after this tournament, and was dubbed a "chess machine!" 

Tarrasch was the last person to have beaten Capablanca in this tournament, still upset by his blunder to Lasker.

Decisive games

Wins
Nimzowitsch,A - Capablanca,J 0-1

Alekhine,A - Capablanca,J 0-1
Capablanca,J - Bernstein,O 1-0
Capablanca,J - Janowsky,D 1-0
Gunsberg,I - Capablanca,J 0-1
Capablanca,J - Blackburne,J 1-0
Tarrasch,S - Capablanca,J 0-1
Capablanca,J - Marshall,F 1-0
Marshall,F - Capablanca,J 0-1
Capablanca,J - Alekhine,A 1-0

Losses (to be the only losses for a long time after)

Lasker,E - Capablanca,J 1-0
Capablanca,J - Tarrasch,S 0-1

Download PGN here

2nd place to Lasker (+10=6-2). Alekhine was third.
1915 New York Wartime tournament

The two draws were against Marshall

(+12=2)
1916 New York Wartime tournament

Capablanca lost against Chajes

(+12=4-1)
1918 New York Wartime tournament

Drama and Implications
Kostic drew both his games against Capablanca. Kostic challenged Capablanca for a match

(+9=3) ahead of Kostic, Marshall, Chajes, Janowski, Black, Morrison
1919 Hastings

Kostich held Capablanca to a draw

1st (+10=1)
1919 Match against Kostic

The match took place in the surroundings of the Union club of Havana. Kostic resigned the match after losing five games in a row.

Capablanca's wins

Capablanca,J - Kostic,B 1-0
Kostic,B - Capablanca,J 0-1
Capablanca,J - Kostic,B 1-0
Kostic,B - Capablanca,J 0-1
Capablanca,J - Kostic,B 1-0
PGN download here

(+5)
1920 Capablanca challenged Lasker again for a World championship match. Lasker not wanting to play, "resigned" his title to Capablanca, but the public wanted a match.  
1921




Capablanca (Left) vs. Lasker

World championship match vs. Lasker held in Havana

The match was scheduled for 30 games, but after 14 games, Lasker resigned the match on the grounds of ill-health.

Capablanca's wins

Capablanca,J - Lasker,E 1-0
Lasker,E - Capablanca,J 0-1
Capablanca,J - Lasker,E 1-0
Lasker,E - Capablanca,J 0-1
PGN download here

Won (+4=14)
1922 London tournament

The leading players agreed rules for the conduct of the World Championship. Their aim was to ensure that the champion could not evade a challenge from his strongest challenge as he had been able to in the past. Capablanca accepted these proposals in principle, adding some of his own.

The most important and difficult qualification Capablanca made was that the purse of 10,000 dollars must be found to ensure proper financial rewards for the champion. This had the implication that any potential Capablanca challenger had to find a rich backer.

Won 1st prize (+11=4) 1.5 points ahead of Alekhine, who was followed by Vidmar, Rubenstein, and Bogoljubow
1924 New York (about category 13)

Implications

Winning streak finally ended by Richard Reti

Decisive games

Wins
Capablanca,J - Tartakower,S 1-0

Capablanca,J - Yates,F 1-0
Bogoljubow,E - Capablanca,J 0-1
Maroczy,G - Capablanca,J 0-1
Capablanca,J - Lasker,E 1-0
Capablanca,J - Janowsky,D 1-0
Lasker,E - Capablanca,J 0-1
Tartakower,S - Capablanca,J 0-1
Capablanca,J - Reti,R 1-0
Capablanca,J - Bogoljubow,E 1-0

Loss
Reti,R - Capablanca,J 1-0

Download PGN here

2nd (+10=9-1) to Lasker. Ahead of Alekhine
1925 Moscow 1925

Drama and Implications

Two interesting events occurred during the Great Moscow Tournament in 1925. Firstly in a simultaneous exhibition, Capablanca won every game except he drew against a bespectacled 12 year old boy who he told after the game, "One day you will be champion". That child was Mikhail Botvinnik. 

Botvinnik not only beat Capablanca at AVRO 13 years later, but eventually did become World Champion. At one point during the tournament, Capablanca's beautiful wife entered the tournament hall and he was apparently so enamored that he left his knight en prise. He lost the knight and the game.

3rd (+9=9-2) after Bogoljubow and Lasker
1926 Lake Hopatcong (+4=4)
1927

 

New York Quadruple-round tournament (about category 15)

Playing four games against each opponent, Capablanca scored 8 wins and 12 draws, beating Alekhine, Vidmar, and Spielmann by 2.5-1.5, Nimzowitsch by 3-1 and Marshall by 3.5-0.5.

Capablanca may have become over-confident and complacent with this brilliant result - 3 points ahead of Alekhine, thus possibly underestimating the threat of Alekhine in the subsequent World championship match.

Capablanca's wins

Nimzowitsch,A - Capablanca,J 0-1
Nimzowitsch,A - Capablanca,J 0-1
Capablanca,J - Marshall,F 1-0
Marshall,F - Capablanca,J 0-1
Marshall,F - Capablanca,J 0-1
Alekhine,A - Capablanca,J 0-1
Capablanca,J - Vidmar,M 1-0
Capablanca,J - Spielmann,R 1-0
PGN download here

1st prize (+8=12), 2.5 points ahead of Alekhine
Buenos Aires World Championship match against Alekhine

The match lasted 73 days featuring 34 games making it the longest world championship match ever held.

This match loss finally shattered the legend of Capablanca as the human chess machine. 

Capablanca was denied a rematch with Alekhine. His relations with Alekhine his former friend degenerated into a public feud. 

The decisive games

Capablanca,J - Alekhine,A 0-1
Capablanca,J - Alekhine,A 1-0
Capablanca,J - Alekhine,A 1-0
Capablanca,J - Alekhine,A 0-1
Alekhine,A - Capablanca,J 1-0
Capablanca,J - Alekhine,A 0-1
Capablanca,J - Alekhine,A 1-0
Alekhine,A - Capablanca,J 1-0
Alekhine,A - Capablanca,J 1-0
Download PGN here

Capablanca lost (+3=25-6)
1928 Berlin tournament

Capablanca's wins

Tarrasch,S - Capablanca,J 0-1
Marshall,F - Capablanca,J 0-1
Capablanca,J - Rubinstein,A 1-0
Capablanca,J - Reti,R 1-0
Capablanca,J - Marshall,F 1-0
Download PGN here

Won (+5=7)
Bad Kissingen 2nd (+4=6-1) after Bogoljubow
Budapest (+5=4)
1929 Ramsgate (+4=3)
Carlsbad 2nd (+10=9-2) equal with Spielmann. Nimzowitsch was 1st.
Budapest 1st (+8=5)
Barcelona 1st (+13=1)
1930-31 Hastings

Capablanca lost to a little known player Sultan Khan. This is significant from the point of view of who the most naturally talented player on the planet was. Could an argument be made that Sultan Khan was even more talented than Capablanca? 
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Decisive games
Wins
Capablanca,J - Colle,E 1-0
Capablanca,J - Yates,F 1-0
Capablanca,J - Tylor,T 1-0
Winter,W - Capablanca,J 0-1
Menchik,V - Capablanca,J 0-1
Loss
S
ultan Khan,M - Capablanca,J 1-0
Download PGN

2nd  (+5=3-1)
1931 New York 1st (+9=2)
Euwe match Won (+2=8)
1934-5 Hastings 4th place (+4=3-2)
1935 Moscow 4th place (+7=10-2) after Botvinnik, Flohr and Lasker
Margate 2nd (+6=2-1)
1936 Margate 2nd (+5=4)
Category 13 Moscow Tournament 1st, (+8=10) one point ahead of Botvinnik
Nottingham tournament (Category 14)

Capablanca is 3rd from left seated. Lasker is 2nd from left seated. Other world champion celebrities include Euwe (3rd from right seated), Alekhine (2nd from right seated), Botvinnik (2nd from right standing

Capablanca's wins

Capablanca,J - Alekhine,A 1-0
Capablanca,J - Tylor,T 1-0
Thomas,G - Capablanca,J 0-1
Capablanca,J - Reshevsky,S 1-0
Winter,W - Capablanca,J 0-1
Capablanca,J - Alexander,C 1-0
Vidmar,M - Capablanca,J 0-1
Download pgn here

1st= (+7=6-1) with Botvinnik , ahead of Euwe (the then World champion), Fine, Rehevsky, Alekhine and Flohr
1937 Semmering 3rd-4th place (+2=11-1)
1938 Paris (+6=4)
Avro Tournament

Capablanca suffered a slight stroke in this tournament halfway through.

7th place (+2=8-4)
1939 Margate 2nd prize (+4=5)with 6.5 points behind Keres
Buenos Aires Olympiad 1939

Played 1st board for the Cuban team

(+6=4)
1942 Capablanca died while analyzing a chess game in the Manhattan Chess Club. General Batista, President of Cuba, took personal charge of the funeral arrangements.  

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Game Philosophy

If any chess player had what the film Star Wars referred to as "The force", it was Capablanca. Intuition enabled him to rapidly comprehend chess positions, especially endgames, which he immediately knew where all the pieces should go.

Capablanca's chess style is best described as direct and classical. He would navigate his way through complications to bring out clear positions, retaining only advantageous elements. He never played speculative chess. 

After a mere glance at a position he could understand all of its subtleties. Exploiting his great endgame strength, he often steered games toward simple positions where he had a much better understanding than that of his opponents.  

He was often able to win with ease endgame positions that looked drawish or at best very difficult. In one notable game, Capablanca made a beautiful queen sacrifice which resulted in a slightly better endgame. One of the highest compliments a chess player can receive is "You played that endgame like Capablanca."

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Literary contributions

Book Date Description
My Chess Career 1920 An autobiography. The author (Capablanca) notes:

"This book proposes to meet a general demand that I should tell the events and circumstances that have made me what I am to-day in the Chess World. In writing it I have endeavoured to tell the truth, what I think of certain games, positions and other things, at the risk at times of appearing extremely conceited to those who don't know me personally. Conceit I consider a foolish thing; but more foolish still is that false modesty that vainly attempts to conceal that which all facts tend to prove.

I have not given any drawn or lost games, because I thought them inadequate for the purpose of the book. There have been many times in my life when I came very near thinking that I could not lose even a single game. The I would be beaten, and the lost game would bring me back from dreamland to earth. Nothing is so healthy as a thrashing at the proper time, and from few won games have I learned as much as I have from most of my defeats. Of course I would not like to be beaten at a critical moment, but, otherwise, I hope that I may at odd times in the future lose a few more games, if thereby I derive as much benefit as I have obtained from defeats of the past.

The notes I have written with great care, and I trust that no mistakes will be found, and that they will tend to clear up points which heretofore may have remained obscure. I also hope they will be found both instructive and interesting, and that this book, as a whole, will meet the approval of the legion of chess players throughout the world, and specially of the many friends with whose wishes I have tried to comply by lifting the veil of that which was never a mystery: "My Chess Career."

J.R. Capablanca

Chess Fundamentals 1921 Capablanca was criticised for My Chess Career especially by British critics because it was thought to be overwhelmingly conceitful. As a reaction to this, and the criticism that he never published any of his losses, he published in Chess Fundamentals all his losses up to that time: eight in all, and there are only 24 games in this book!
A textbook in the Spanish language 1913  
A book on the Havana tournament of 1913 1913  
A primer of chess 1935  

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Other activities

Sports and theatre...

When not playing chess, he played tennis, bridge, reading or the life of a playboy!
While in Soviet Russia, Capablanca showed a lively interest in the Soviet system. He enjoyed going sightseeing in Moscow and frequently visited sports grounds to play various games, especially tennis which he liked very much. He was also an enthusiastic theatre-goer and expressed his particular admiration for Russian ballet.

Films...

He was also involved in the film "Chess Fever" produced in Moscow and devoted to the international tournament held there at the time! The film made a great hit throughout the country. Capablanca played a Cameo role

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Quotes

"A good player is always lucky."

"In order to improve your game, you must study the endgame before everything else, for whereas the endings can be studied and mastered by themselves, the middle game and the opening must be studied in relation to the endgame."

 

"As one by one I mowed them down, without the loss of a single game my superiority became apparent." My Chess Career

 

Referring to the match with Marshall
"The most surprising feature of all was the fact that I played without ever having opened a book to study the openings.."

My Chess Career

"A player some time ago asked me to give him some advice for average players, and I asked him of what sort, and what did he find was the general weakness. He said that some players are very aggressive and others are not aggressive at all. Both are wrong, but if you have to be one of the two, it is much better to be very aggressive."

My Chess Career

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Games

Play through Capablanca's games using a Java browser!
There is a Capablanca miniatures page

Alternatively you can download a zipped PGN file!

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Research references and credits

My Chess Career by J.R.Capablanca
Capablanca's 100 Best Games of Chess by H.Golombek
The Unknown Capablanca by David Hooper and Dale Brandreth

The Oxford companion to chess by David Hooper and Kenneth Whyld
The Guinness Book of Chess Grandmasters by William Hartston

 

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Relevant web sites

Chess history.
See the Deja News 'Chess History' Discussion Group

Chess Archeology site's Capablanca page ; Capablanca in Cleveland
Capablanca section in "The game is afoot" website

World chess championship matches
New York 1924 International Chess Tournament

Capablanca's chess variant

Exeter Chess Club: Lessons from Capablanca

Details of Chess Fever, the popular film Capablanca was involved in refer to the Internet Movie Database
Shots from the film can be found at the Travellers chess web site

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Further reading

Capablanca's Best Chess Endings 
Chess Fundamentals 
Chess Fundamentals (Cadagon Chess Books) 
The Immortal Games of Capablanca 
A Primer for Chess
A Primer of Chess 
The Unknown Capablanca (Dover Books on Chess) 
Capablanca : A Compendium of Games, Notes, Articles, Correspondence, Illustrations and Other Rare Archival Materials on the Cuban Chess Genius Jose R
The Games of Jose Raul Capablanca
My Chess Career

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Revision history

1st draft 5th December 1999

2nd draft 12th December 1999

bulletCapablanca's world championship match challenger financial condition emphasised more in the light of the Alekhine paper
bulletFormatting changes

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13th official FIDE world
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current PCA world champion

 

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World champions Java browser

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Culture quiz 1
Culture quiz 2
 


José Raúl Capablanca, 
the 3rd official world chess champion

 


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Capablanca miniatures

Botvinnik miniatures

Fischer miniatures

Petrosian miniatures

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Kasparov miniatures with Black

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Karpov miniatures with Black
 

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Brilliant Tal finishes

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British player profiles