Capablanca in Hollywood

The game, move by move

A quiet Four Knights

1. 1. e4 King’s pawn
2. 1… e5 The same claim
3. 2. Nf3 The knight out
4. 2… Nc6 And Black’s
5. 3. Nc3 The Four Knights
6. 3… Nf6 The fourth knight
7. 4. Bb5 The bishop to b5
8. 4… Bb4 Mirroring it
9. 5. O-O White castles
10. 5… O-O And Black
11. 6. d3 d3, quietly
12. 6… d6 And d6
13. 7. Bg5 The bishop to g5 The first move that is not symmetrical, and it aims at the knight on f6 — the piece holding the king’s position together.
14. 7… Bxc3 The bishops traded on c3
15. 8. bxc3 Recaptured
16. 8… Ne7 The knight to e7

Both bishops traded off

1. 9. Nh4 The knight to h4 Out to the rim, where it waits eleven moves and then gives itself up on f5.
2. 9… c6 c6, solid
3. 10. Bc4 The bishop swings to c4
4. 10… Be6 Facing it
5. 11. Bxf6 The bishop takes f6 A bishop for a knight, to double the pawns in front of the king and open the g-file — for White, as it turns out.
6. 11… gxf6 Recaptured with the g-pawn
7. 12. Bxe6 And the second bishop
8. 12… fxe6 Recaptured Both bishops gone, and Black has pawns on e6, f6 and e5 with a king behind them. The pawns look solid; every one of them is taken in the next fifteen half-moves.

The rook on f6

1. 13. Qg4+ Check, from g4
2. 13… Kf7 Kf7
3. 14. f4 f4 — the break
4. 14… Rg8 The rook to g8
5. 15. Qh5+ Check, from h5
6. 15… Kg7 Kg7
7. 16. fxe5 Taken
8. 16… dxe5 Recaptured
9. 17. Rxf6 The rook, on f6 A rook for a pawn, standing next to the king. Taking it is forced — the alternative is Rxe6 with everything hanging — and taking it puts the king on f6.
10. 17… Kxf6 Taken

The king walked to c5

1. 18. Rf1+ The second rook, with check
2. 18… Nf5 The knight blocks on f5
3. 19. Nxf5 The knight taken From h4, where it has been standing since move nine.
4. 19… exf5 Recaptured
5. 20. Rxf5+ The rook takes f5, with check
6. 20… Ke7 Ke7
7. 21. Qf7+ Check, from f7
8. 21… Kd6 Kd6 — into the middle
9. 22. Rf6+ Check, from f6
10. 22… Kc5 Kc5 — the fifth rank A king on c5 on move twenty-two, and everything of his own that could defend him is on the back rank.
11. 23. Qxb7 The queen takes b7
12. 23… Qb6 The queen comes out to defend
13. 24. Rxc6+ The second rook, on c6 Given to the queen, which is the only piece that can take it. Taking it puts her on c6 — where she blocks the one flight square her king had.
14. 24… Qxc6 Taken
15. 25. Qb4# Checkmate, on b4 The queen steps to b4 covered by the pawn on c3. She covers b5, c4, d6, d4 and b6; the pawn on e4 covers d5 and the pawn on d3 covers c4 — and c6 is Black’s own queen.