Gypsy: <Petrocephalon: ... Well I would... if I was positive Capablanca wasn't pulling my leg. > Lol.No, he is not pulling our collective leg. He (like Gauss, for instance) is just doing something ahead of its time and does not care enough for the pain to make it all understandeable to us commoners: Capa is playing this as a modern-day hedgehog. Today, we even have books about the dynamic merits of such an approach (eg, Suba), so the explanations come easier.
<15...Rfd8> Capa's intent is to transfer the knight Nd7-b6-c8-e7 so that it will have f5, d5, and c6 under control. But, first things first, Capa will also put in the hedgehogian f7-f6 to take control of the g5 and e5 squares.
<16...Bc7> No good to play Nb6 while the B is on d6. (Also the rook needs scope.)
<17...Nf8> The point is that immediate f7-f6 would drop the e6 pawn.
<20...Nd7> After f6-f6 and Kg8-f7 out of the way, the knight is free to go.
<23...Ne7> And the knight finally arives.
<26...b5> A telling comment by Capa revealing his hedgehog-style frame of mind in this game. Because of the x-ray to c7, White gets a strong, protected a5 passer and the game turns into a dead draw.
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