A Capablanca Fragment

[Gerard Killoran]

From the Evening News (London) - Wednesday 03 December 1919

His opponent https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Pryce-Jones

[Event "Simul"] [Site "House of Commons"] [Date "1919.12.02"] [Round "?"] [White "Capablanca, José Raúl"] [Black "Pryce Jones, Edward (Sir)"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D02"] [Opening "Queen's pawn game"] 1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 Bf5 4. Qb3 b6 5. cxd5 Qxd5 6. Nc3 Qxb3 7. axb3 e6 8. Bf4 Bd6 9. Bxd6 cxd6 10. Nb5 Kd7 11. Rxa7+ Rxa7 12. Nxa7 Nc6 13. Nxc6 Kxc6 14. Nh4 Bb1 $2 {...and White went on to win. Evening News (London) - Wednesday 03 December 1919 p.5} (14... Bc2 {with advantage}) 1-0

[Gerard Killoran]

And a whole new game.

The winner https://jwrventures.com/why-jwr/

[Event "Simul"] [Site "Maccabeans Club, London"] [Date "1925.12.13"] [Round "?"] [White "Capablanca, José Raúl"] [Black "Rivkine, James Walter"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "E20"] [Opening "Nimzo (plus QGD, Benoni)"] 1. c4 Nf6 2. d4 e6 3. Nc3 b6 4. e4 Bb7 5. Bd3 Bb4 6. Qe2 d6 7. Bg5 Nbd7 8. a3 Bxc3+ 9. bxc3 e5 10. Nf3 Qe7 11. O-O h6 12. Bxf6 Qxf6 13. a4 Nf8 14. a5 Ne6 15. axb6 axb6 16. Rxa8+ Bxa8 17. c5 exd4 18. cxd6 cxd6 19. Bb5+ Ke7 20. Ra1 Rc8 21. e5 Qf4 22. exd6+ Kxd6 23. Nd2 Qg5 24. g3 Qd5 25. Rxa8 Rxa8 26. Ne4+ Ke7 27. Bc4 Ra1+ 28. Kg2 d3 29. Bxd3 f5 30. c4 Qc6 31. f3 fxe4 32. Bxe4 Qc5 33. Kh3 Ng5+ 34. Kh4 Qe5 35. c5 Nxe4 {Evening News (London) - Saturday 19 December 1925 p.8} 0-1

Evening Despatch - Tuesday 15 December 1925 p.3.png (480.26 KiB) Viewed 1403 times

[Richard James]

And a whole new game.

The winner https://jwrventures.com/why-jwr/

[Event "Simul"] [Site "Maccabeans Club, London"] [Date "1925.12.13"] [Round "?"] [White "Capablanca, José Raúl"] [Black "Rivkine, James Walter"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "E20"] [Opening "Nimzo (plus QGD, Benoni)"] 1. c4 Nf6 2. d4 e6 3. Nc3 b6 4. e4 Bb7 5. Bd3 Bb4 6. Qe2 d6 7. Bg5 Nbd7 8. a3 Bxc3+ 9. bxc3 e5 10. Nf3 Qe7 11. O-O h6 12. Bxf6 Qxf6 13. a4 Nf8 14. a5 Ne6 15. axb6 axb6 16. Rxa8+ Bxa8 17. c5 exd4 18. cxd6 cxd6 19. Bb5+ Ke7 20. Ra1 Rc8 21. e5 Qf4 22. exd6+ Kxd6 23. Nd2 Qg5 24. g3 Qd5 25. Rxa8 Rxa8 26. Ne4+ Ke7 27. Bc4 Ra1+ 28. Kg2 d3 29. Bxd3 f5 30. c4 Qc6 31. f3 fxe4 32. Bxe4 Qc5 33. Kh3 Ng5+ 34. Kh4 Qe5 35. c5 Nxe4 {Evening News (London) - Saturday 19 December 1925 p.8} 0-1

Evening Despatch - Tuesday 15 December 1925 p.3.png

I'd also come across this story, and will be writing much more about Rivkine in my ongoing series of Minor Pieces about competitors in the London Boys Championship in the 1920s.

[Richard James]

Deleted: duplicate information.

[Geoff Chandler]

Britbase confirms he played in the Hastings Major 'A' 1927/28 losing most of his games but he did beat Vera Menchik. Capablanca and Menchik are in the Rivkine club!

[Event "Hastings Major A 1927/28"] [Site "Hastings"] [Date "1928.01.04"] [Round "7"] [White "Rivkine, James Walter"] [Black "Menchik, Vera"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C13"] [EventDate "1927.12.28"] [Source "John Saunders"] [SourceDate "2024.03.28"] [PlyCount "61"] [EventType "tourn"] [EventRounds "9"] [EventCountry "ENG"] [SourceTitle "BritBase"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2024.03.28"] [SourceQuality "1"] 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 dxe4 5. Nxe4 Nbd7 6. Nf3 Be7 7. Ng3 O-O 8. Bd3 c5 9. c3 cxd4 10. Nxd4 h6 11. h4 Nc5 12. Bc2 Qd5 13. Be3 Rd8 14. Qe2 b6 15. c4 Qb7 16. O-O Bd7 17. b4 Na6 18. a3 Nc7 19. Nh5 Nxh5 20. Qxh5 Ne8 21. Bxh6 gxh6 22. Qxh6 Nf6 23. Rfe1 Qc7 24. Re3 Ba4 25. Rg3+ Qxg3 26. fxg3 Rxd4 27. Bxa4 Rxc4 28. Rf1 Ng4 29. Qh5 Rf8 30. Bb3 Rd4 31. Rf4 {Sources: Southland Times (NZ) , 16 November 1929; 'Hastings 1927/8 Cheltenham 1928 Scarborough 1928' - A J Gillam - The Chess Player (1999)} 1-0
https://www.saund.co.uk/britbase/pgn/19 ... iewer.html

Edward Winter has covered the game v Capablanca as well:

"The digitization of old newspapers is continuing to progress, and Olimpiu G. Urcan has just found (as has Gerard Killoran at the English Chess Forum – post dated 17 February 2025) the score of Capablanca’s loss to Rivkin/Rivkine in a 46-board simultaneous display in London on 13 December 1925."

https://www.chesshistory.com/winter/ext ... anca1.html