An Irresistible Force Meeting an Immovable Object

Alekhine vs. Capablanca

    This classic philosophical paradox is rooted in ancient thought like the 3rd-century BC Chinese story of the spear and shield. What happens if a force is unstoppable and it meets an object that cannot be moved? In everyday language, the phrase is used for what happens if two equally stubborn opponents meet. In the historic 1927 World Championship match played in B uenos Aires between defending champion Jose Capablanca and challenger Alexander Alekhine the object moved.

    Alekhine won the title 6–3 with 25 draws, the title going to the first player to win six games. It was considered a massive upset because Capablanca had a strong record against Alekhine and he was widely considered nearly unbeatable. 

    Alekhine considered this game to have been praised too much! He wrote, “ t was doubtless very exciting both for the players, who were continuously short of time, and the public. But its final part represents a true comedy of errors in which my opponent several times missed a draw and I missed about the same number of winning opportunities. In short, but for its outstanding sporting importance (it became, in fact, the crucial point of the match) I would hardly have included it in this collection.”

    Alekhine’s assessment of this game is hard to understand because engine analysis shows white’s Weight Error Value to be 0.49 which is not at all bad while Alekhine’s play is evaluated at 0.15 which is considered very precise. 

 

[Event "World Champ Match, Buenos Aires"] [Site ""] [Date "1927.10.26"] [Round "21"] [White "Jose Capablanca"] [Black "Alexander Alekhine"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D63"] [Annotator "Stockfish/Alekhine"] [PlyCount "64"] [EventDate "1927.09.16"] [EventType ""] [EventRounds ""] [EventCountry ""] [SourceVersion ""] [SourceVersionDate ""] [SourceQuality ""] {D63: Queen's Gambit Declined: Classical} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Nbd7 5. e3 Be7 6. Nf3 O-O 7. Rc1 a6 {Far more usual is 7...c6 and even though Alekhine had good results with 7...a6 in this match he later concluded that it was unsatisfactory because of three games later in the match in which Capab;anca played 7.dxc5.} 8. a3 {This tame move makes no attempt at gaining an advantage. Ti di that white has to play either 8.c5 it 8.cxd5} h6 9. Bh4 dxc4 {Black usually avoids this until white has moved the B, but here he immediately regains the lost tempo with ...b5} 10. Bxc4 b5 11. Be2 {Very tame. The thematic maneuver is Ba2-c1 and Qc2 or Qc3 setting up a battery aimed at h7} (11. Ba2 c5 12. O-O Bb7 {Hindering Qc2 (or d3) beause of ...Bxf3 The position is equal.} 13. Bb1 Rc8 14. Qe2 {and Simonian,T (2425)-Grachev,B (2675) Erevan ARM 2014 was eventually drawn/}) 11... Bb7 12. O-O {Also acceptable was 12.b4} c5 13. dxc5 Nxc5 14. Nd4 {Alekhine believed that because white has no advantage whatsoever he should have just simplified by exchanging Qs. However, after the text black has no advantage at all either.} (14. Bxf6 {Alekhine claimed this is "entirely wrong", but , in fact, it is entirely equal.} Bxf6 15. Nxb5 Qxd1 16. Rfxd1 Nb3 17. Rc7 Bxf3 18. Bxf3 Rac8 (18... axb5 19. Bxa8 Rxa8 {The position is unclear, but the chances are probably equal, white havong a R+P vs. B+N.}) 19. Rxc8 Rxc8 20. Nd6 Rc2 {with a completely equal position.}) 14... Rc8 {Eliminatiin any threat of Nxb5} 15. b4 {Alekhine criticized this as "without any necessity the square c4." That is simply not true because the position is still pretty much dead even.} Ncd7 {[%mdl 32]} 16. Bg3 Nb6 17. Qb3 Nfd5 {The idea behind this subtle move is the positional threat of ...Nxc3} 18. Bf3 (18. Kh1 {A pass to demonstrate the threat.} Nxc3 19. Rxc3 Bd5 20. Rxc8 Qxc8 21. Qb2 Qb7 {All of black's pieces are, or will be, actively place.}) 18... Rc4 {The N would have been better placed here than the R.} 19. Ne4 Qc8 20. Rxc4 {Alekhine considered this move to be the decisive positional error because from now on "black, taking advantage of the formidable position of (the N on c4) will gradually concentrate all his pieces for action in the center." An astute observation because now, while technically black's position is evaluated as being only slightly better, black's advantage begins to gradually increase. Safer was 20.Qb1 maintaining thension on the c-file.} Nxc4 21. Rc1 Qa8 {hreatening either 22...Nxb4 or 22...Nxe3 and so white is forced to "abandon control of the central light squares."} 22. Nc3 $2 (22. Kh1 Ndxe3 23. fxe3 Bxe4 24. Bxe4 Qxe4 25. Bf2 Rd8 26. Qc3 e5 27. Nf3 Rd3 {Black is winning.}) 22... Rc8 23. Nxd5 Bxd5 $19 24. Bxd5 Qxd5 25. a4 {Capablanca has reduced the number of pieces and now he wants to reduced the number of Ps. but his "position still remains compromised, inasmuch as his Ps will become a welcome object of attack in the endgame." At this point white's position can be considered lost.} Bf6 26. Nf3 Bb2 {The purpose of this move is to play ...e5 without restricting the B.} (26... Rd8 $19 {And now ...e5 would win.} 27. axb5 axb5) 27. Re1 (27. axb5 Bxc1 28. bxa6 {meets with the tactical refutation} Nxe3 29. Qxd5 Nxd5 30. b5 Ba3 31. Kf1 Rc1+ 32. Ke2 Bc5 {and the advance of the Ps is prevented.}) 27... Rd8 28. axb5 axb5 29. h3 {The K needs an escape square/} (29. Bc7 $17 {was necessary.} Qd3 30. Qxd3 Rxd3 31. h3) 29... e5 {[%mdl 32]} 30. Rb1 e4 31. Nd4 Bxd4 32. Rd1 {Loses immediately.} (32. exd4 {wasn't much better though.} Qxd4 33. Bf4 g5 34. Qg3 Qd3 35. Rc1 Qxg3 36. Bxg3 f5 37. Re1 Rd3 {with an overwhelming position.}) 32... Nxe3 {White resigned.} (32... Nxe3 33. Qxd5 Rxd5 34. fxe3 Bxe3+) 0-1