Capablanca in Cleveland:
Six Newly Discovered Simultaneous Exhibition
Games
and the Process of Their Recovery
by John S. Hilbert
|
|
When a player of José Raúl
Capablancas
stature and ability came to town for a simultaneous exhibition, even
early
in his career, people took notice. At least, sometimes people took
notice. As interested as chess players were in such events, the
general
population, as reflected in contemporary newspaper accounts, were less
than enthralled. Unless a newspaper at the scene of such an
exhibition
carried a local chess column, there was a very good chance that even
Capablancas
simultaneous exhibitions would go essentially uncovered, as have so many
great exhibitions by practitioners of the game. The hit or miss
nature
of such local reportage is, of course, at times deeply discouraging for
the researcher delving into chess history. At other times,
however,
such explorations lead to quite pleasant surprises. This is the
story
of one such historical research adventure. |
A typical mixed bag of results concerns
Capablancas
trips to Cleveland, Ohio, in the northeast corner of the state.
Cleveland
stretches along the southern shore of Lake Erie, and follows along
naturally
in a progression from Buffalo, to Erie, Pennsylvania, and then further
west, first to Toledo and then later to Detroit, or, depending on
ones
choice of direction, Chicago. Professional chess players
conducting
tours and traveling by train from New York City to points west along the
northern routes of the nation found cities such as Cleveland natural
stopping
points, good usually for at least one exhibition during the course of an
extended tour. Whether moving east or west, players traveling the
northern parts of the nation often found themselves stopping in
Cleveland. |
Such was the case for Capablanca, a player who
engaged
in a multitude of simultaneous performances. According to Hooper
and Brandreth (The Unknown Capablanca, 2nd, Revised Edition,
Dover
Publications, 1993), Capablanca had engaged in eight extensive tours of
the United States alone before 1920. Hooper and Brandreth have
done
chess historians and researchers a great favor by listing all known
simultaneous
performances by Capablanca, along with date, location, wins, losses, and
draws, during his long and varied career. See The Unknown
Capablanca,
pp. 180-194. While not pretending to be complete, the list
provided
by Hooper and Brandreth provides a valuable starting point for in depth
research by local historians seeking to track down Capablancas
movements
and, indeed, his forgotten games. As an example of what one might
hope to find by taking the time to explore original sources, I have
followed
through Capablancas trail to one city by the lake. |
Thanks to Hooper and Brandreth, it can be
reported
with some certainty that Capablanca visited Cleveland on at least ten
separate
occasions between 1909 and 1926. His path through the city can be
seen at a glance from the chart that follows: |
Capablancas Cleveland, Ohio,
Simultaneous Exhibitions:
Exhibition Date
|
Results
|
Known Games |
January 20, 1909
|
+20-0=1
|
None |
December 23, 1909
|
+25-1=2
|
None |
March 16, 1915
|
+28-0=1
|
None |
January 13, 1919
|
+45-0=3
|
None |
February 4, 1922
|
+102-0=1
|
Wins: Stearns, Hamilton, Tarasov;
Draw: Anderson |
December 12, 1922
|
+39-3=1
|
Wins: Stearns, Wolfe, Tozer;
Draw: Judson |
May 22, 1926
|
+32-0=1
|
Win: Thomas |
May 23, 1926
|
+20-0=0
|
None |
December 11, 1926
|
+31-2=1
|
Wins: Spero (44 of 63 moves), Augustus;
Losses: Hughes, Thomas; |
December 13, 1926
|
+29-0=3
|
None |
|
For the record, the twelve games and one partial
game listed above are collected in The Games of José
Raúl
Capablanca by Rogelio Caparrós (Caissa Editions: Yorklyn,
Delaware
1991) and appear among the Informal Games under numbers
374-377, 400-403,
427, and 433-436. Unfortunately, instead of specific citations for
sources, Caparrós merely makes reference to research by others,
such as Brandreth or Hooper, or to Cleveland papers, a
citation which
provides no help in checking for accuracy, for additional games, or
associated
information from specific chess columns. Review of the second
edition
of the same book shows no additional games from Cleveland simultaneous
exhibitions have been added. |
Thus, according to known sources, during his ten
exhibitions in the city, in which he played a total of 390 games,
Capablanca
won a phenomenal 371, while giving up only 13 draws and 6 losses.
His winning percentage stands at an incredible 96.54%. Perhaps
almost
equally amazing, from a chess historians point of view, is that
despite
six of the ten Cleveland exhibitions taking place during
Capablancas reign
as world champion, and three of the four remaining exhibitions having
taken
place after he had already established himself in this country, at
least,
as the strongest player around (having defeated Frank Marshall, United
States Champion, by the lopsided score of 8 wins, 1 loss, and 14 draws
during their match played between April 19 and June 23, 1909), a mere
thirteen
of his Cleveland exhibition games, out of 390, have until now been
recovered. |
Such a dismal record of recovered games, however,
is in many ways not really that surprising. Capablanca clearly did
not meet significant opposition while playing his exhibitions in
Cleveland,
except perhaps for his December 12, 1922, and December 11, 1926,
displays.
Those two exhibitions account for five of his six losses. His
winning
percentage no doubt bespeaks, rather, many games that would not bear
publishing.
And of course, the recovery of more games has its costs, both in time
and
in money. Few would venture to travel to local sources, such as a
distant city library, merely in hopes of locating at most a few
additional
simultaneous exhibition games. The cost would be prohibitive,
especially
for such a player as Capablanca, who literally gave simultaneous
displays
in scores of cities around the world. Similarly, few would wish to
expend the time needed to arrange, and then view, numerous rolls of
newspaper
microfilm, often available, if at all, only through a potentially
lengthy
process of inter-library loan retrieval. |
Such concerns, however, need not prevent those of
us interested in chess history from being prepared to take advantage of
opportunities that do arise. In this case, as I knew I was
traveling
to Cleveland for other business, I made it a point to gather the
references
given in the chart above and to take the time to stop by the Cleveland
Public Librarys newly renovated building which houses, among other
things,
the librarys extensive microfilm collection. All that was
really
needed was a little forethought and a willingness to set aside some time
for the project. I needed to know when such exhibitions took
place,
as a wonderful work such as The Unknown Capablanca
provided.
Equally important, and in order to avoid unnecessary disappointment
later,
I needed to know what games had already been uncovered by researchers
following
such trails before me. In this case, examination of works by
Rogelio
Caparrós, Edward Winter, and others, resulted in my confirming as
already found the nine games noted in the chart above. |
Armed with information concerning relevant dates
and what games had already been recovered, it was a relatively simple
matter
to set about examining microfilm in Clevelands library. As
it happens,
of course, the Cleveland Public Library houses the John G. White
Collection,
the largest collection of chess related books in the world. As one
might imagine, I often find myself seeking out reasons to travel to
Cleveland
to visit that collection. It seemed only fitting that Cleveland,
then, become the scene of such an exercise in seeking forgotten
games.
But of course the same strategy would apply for someone who, for
example,
routinely visits St. Louis as a medical supply salesperson.
Preparation
and a little time are the only real requirements to enjoy the search for
forgotten chess games. |
One other bit of information that I brought along
with me to Cleveland turned out to be an extremely helpful clue.
In reading through the American Chess Bulletin for February 1910
for another project, I happened to note the following brief comment, at
page 27: The Cleveland Leader in its issue of
December 19,
1909, prints its first weekly column devoted to chess and checkers,
under
the management of the Cleveland Chess and Checker Club. From the
report of the Capablanca visit we learn that the latter won 25, lost one
to C. W. Shauer and drew two with W. L. Greer and H. O. Newcomb,
respectively.
Mr. Newcomb is the state champion at checkers of Ohio. We cannot
too strongly commend the enterprise of the Cleveland Club and bespeak
for
its efforts satisfactory results. Hermann Helms and Hartwig
Cassel,
then publishers of the Bulletin, were of course great boosters of
chess, and more than happy to include such small blurbs in the pages of
their journal in order to encourage others to cover local chess
events.
Their interest in promoting chess had for me, of course, coming across
it eighty-seven years later, the added benefit of alerting me to the
presence
of a chess column beginning in Cleveland just at the time of the
Cubans
second visit to that city. |
What excited me even more, of course, and what in
fact led to my seeking coverage of Capablancas play in Cleveland
in the
first place, was the fact that my review of historical sources had
uncovered
no games from Capablancas December 23, 1909, visit to the city,
despite
the fact that Helms and Cassel had inadvertently given me clear evidence
that a local newspaper chess column had begun a mere four days
before
the simultaneous display. This fact, coupled with the propensity
for local chess columns to proudly give the winning, or even drawing,
games
played by local players against national and international talent, gave
me great hope to think that examination of the Cleveland Leader
for December 1909 and January 1910 might well result in some forgotten
Capablanca games. |
This hunch, I happily report, proved correct. The
Cleveland
Leader did cover Capablancas appearance in the city in
December 1909,
and not surprisingly provided the one win and two draws achieved against
him. In the Cleveland Leader for December 26, 1909, the
second
chess column to appear in the paper described Capablancas
visit.
Please note paragraphing from the paper has been changed here to
conserve
space. The great chess expert, Capablanca, reported
the Leader,
has come and gone. He came Thursday evening from
Indianapolis, was
met at the Union Depot by two members of the chess club, was rushed up
in an auto to the New England Building, arriving at the rooms of the
Athletic
Club about 9 oclock. A host of chess enthusiasts eagerly
awaited
his arrival, about twenty-eight of whom quickly seated themselves at
tables,
previously arranged in a circle around the large banquet room of the
club.
After a brief introduction by Dr. Durstine, who explained that Mr.
Capablanca
would play simultaneously all comers, and that a prize was offered to
any
who would draw or win a game from Capablanca, everything was in
readiness.
Without further ceremony Capablanca quickly passed from one table to
another,
and with scarcely a seconds pause at each, he deftly moved a piece
on
each chess board, and thus the battle was on. The enthusiasm ran
high as the many onlookers pressed eagerly back of the contestants to
watch
the progress of the various games. The interest increased with
each
succeeding round, and soon one after another of the contestants went
down
to defeat before the invincible conqueror. C. W. Shauer was the
first
to check the visitors string of victories. And then
the column
gave the game: |
|
Capablanca,JR Shauer,CW
|
Simul
|
C79/06 |
Spanish: Russian (Rubinstein)
|
|
1909.12.23 |
USA Cleveland, OH (Cleveland Athletic
Club)
|
|
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 d6 6.Bxc6+
bxc6 7.d4 Bg4 8.dxe5 Nxe4 9.exd6 cxd6 10.Re1 d5 11.h3 Bh5 12.g4 Bg6
13.Nc3
f5 14.Nd4 Qh4 15.Nxe4 fxe4 16.Nxc6 Qxh3 17.Qxd5 Qxg4+ 18.Kf1 Qh3+ 19.Ke2
Qf3+ 20.Kd2 Qxf2+ 21.Re2 e3+ 22.Kd1
22...Bxc2+ 23.Kxc2 Qxe2+ 24.Kb1 Qg4 25.Bxe3 Qg6+ 26.Kc1
Rc8 27.Qe5+ Kd7 28.Qd5+ Bd6 29.Kd2 Rxc6 30.Rf1 Qc2+ 31.Ke1 Qb1+ 32.Ke2
Qxb2+ 33.Ke1 Qb1+ 34.Ke2 Rc2+ 35.Kd3 Rc1+ 0-1.
Cleveland Leader,
1909.12.26
|
|
Not long after Shauers win, two other
players drew
their games in what is known as perpetual check. These were
Mr.
W. L. Greer, of the chess club, and Mr. Newcomb, the state checker
champion.
Shortly after 12 oclock all games were ended, Capablanca winning
25, drawing
2 and losing 1. The names of all twenty-eight players who
participated
in the exhibition were then given. The Leaders
January 2,
1910, column gave not only H. O. Newcombs draw against Capablanca,
but
also covered Newcombs match victory whereby he defended his Ohio
checkers
championship, including two checkers games, one won by the
champion.
Thus Newcomb may well have been the only player ever to face Capablanca,
not lose, have his game published, and in the same column have given his
successful retention of a state crown in
another game! |
Typographical errors in the game scores plagued
the first columns of the Cleveland Leaders new Chess
and Checkers
column, and it was not until two weeks later that the correct score of
Newcombs draw, as well as the draw by W. L. Greer, were finally
given
in understandable form to the public. |
|
Capablanca,JR Newcomb,HO
|
Simul
|
1909.12.23 |
USA Cleveland, OH (Cleveland Athletic
Club)
|
|
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 d6 4.0-0 Bd7 5.c3 Nf6 6.d3 g6
7.Bg5 Bg7 8.Nbd2 h6 9.Bh4 g5 10.Bg3 Nh5 11.Bxc6 bxc6 12.Nc4 Nxg3 13.fxg3
0-0 14.Ne3 Rb8 15.b3 Qc8 16.Nd2 f5 17.exf5 Bxf5 18.Nxf5 Rxf5 19.Qe2 c5
20.Qe4 Rxf1+ 21.Rxf1 Qe6 22.Qc6 Rc8 23.Ne4
23...Rf8 24.Rxf8+ Bxf8 25.Qxc7 d5 26.Nxc5 Qg4 27.h3
Qxg3
28.Ne6 g4 29.hxg4 Qe1+ 30.Kh2 ½-½.
Cleveland Leader,
1910.01.16
|
|
|
|
Capablanca,JR Greer,WL
|
Simul
|
C67/02 |
Spanish: Open Berlin
|
|
1909.12.23 |
USA Cleveland, OH (Cleveland Athletic
Club)
|
|
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0-0 Nxe4 5.d4 exd4 6.Re1
d5 7.Nxd4 Bd7 8.Bxc6 bxc6 9.f3 c5 10.Nb3 Bc6 11.fxe4 d4 12.Qg4 h5 13.Qg3
Bd6 14.Qxg7
14...Bxh2+ 15.Kxh2 Qh4+ 16.Kg1 Qxe1+
½-½.
Cleveland Leader,
1910.01.16
|
|
I suspect the reason the next game was not found
was because whoever looked in the Cleveland Plain Dealer for
games
from Capablancas December 12, 1922, exhibition stopped looking too
soon.
The scores of the four games previously recovered from this event, those
of the new world champions play against Stearns, Wolfe, Tozer, and
Judson,
apparently were found in the December 17th, 24th, and 31st issues of the
paper. But the game against Irving Spero, given below, did not
appear
until the January 7, 1923, column. One reason whoever found the
first
four games missed the fifth was, no doubt, because with the third column
concerning the exhibition, the chess column had published all three wins
by the local players, as well as the one draw (against thirty-nine
victories
for Capablanca). Local papers time and again, and understandably,
publish the games of local players who defeat the exhibitor or who at
least
hold him to a draw. No doubt whoever was looking for Capablanca
games
originally felt it unnecessary to examine the January 1923 roll of
Cleveland
Plain Dealer microfilm, as all the games of local
interest were already
accounted for, and weeks had passed by since the December 12, 1922,
exhibition
had taken place. |
But the game that got away from the
previous researcher,
so to speak, was also in fact a game that got away from the
player who
lost it. Irving Spero was then Ohio Chess Champion, and at least
according to his notes to the game, included below, he had a won game
against
the world champion until he managed to blunder it away. Thus, the
game that got away was memorialized in the first column of
the new year.
One may find some interesting insight into both Capablanca and Spero
from
reading his comments surrounding the game. |
Capablanca had himself stated, as reported in the
Plain
Dealer for December 17, 1922, that his 39 wins, 3 losses and 1 draw
was the worst defeat in the last four years of exhibition and
match play
he had suffered. While the comment appears to have been a slight
exaggeration for local consumption, a review of the listing in The
Unknown
Capablanca shows that on only one occasion, in Manchester on October
28, 1922, two months earlier, when he lost four games, had Capablanca
suffered
more than three losses in such an exhibition since a visit to Chicago on
December 4, 1915, seven years earlier, when he had lost five
games.
Capablanca, while in Cleveland, added that the wonderful reception
accorded
me and the keen competition the players here evinced indicate a greatly
quickened interest in the royal game since I played in Cleveland
last.
The local report thus concluded that the three wins scored against
Capablanca
bears out the conclusion that the city is developing chess talent
of a
high order. |
|
Capablanca,JR Spero,I
|
Simul
|
D30/09 |
QGD: Vienna (Capablanca)
|
|
1922.12.12 |
USA Cleveland, OH (Cleveland Athletic
Club)
|
|
Annotations by Irving Spero
1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.c4 e6 4.Bg5 Nbd7 5.e3 c6 6.Nbd2 Bb4
7.a3 Bxd2+ 8.Nxd2 0-0 9.Qc2 Re8 10.Be2 Nf8 11.f4 h6 12.Bh4 Ng6 13.Bf2
Qc7
14.c5 Kh8 15.Bd3 Ne7 16.h3 Nf5 17.g4 Nxd4 18.exd4 Qxf4 19.Be2 e5 20.Qd3
exd4 21.Bxd4 Nxg4 22.hxg4 Bxg4 23.0-0-0 Bxe2 24.Qc3 f6
25.Rde1
At this point, believing my game better than the champions, I
modestly
proposed a draw as the hour was late. Capablanca kept on playing. |
25...Re6 26.Kb1 Rae8 27.Nb3
27...Bf3
Here I was sure of a win and the analysis may so indicate but
single-handed
(all the other players having been dispatched) I was no match for the
champion. |
28.Ka2 Bxh1 29.Rxh1 Re2 30.Qh3 a6
A move of no significance, made only to gain time to comply with a
request that I play. |
31.Rf1 Qg5 32.Rg1 Qf4 33.Rf1
Again I offered a draw which under other circumstances I would not
have done but I felt my game weakening. |
33...Qg5 34.Bc3 R8e7 35.Nd4 R2e5 36.Nf5 Re3 37.Nxe3
Rxe3
38.Qc8+ Kh7 39.Bd2 Rxa3+ 40.Kxa3 Qxd2 41.Qf5+ Kh8 42.Ka2 Qb4 43.Kb1 a5
44.Qg6 a4 45.Rg1 Qe4+ 46.Qxe4 dxe4 47.Kc2 Kg8 48.Kc3 Kf7 49.Kd4 f5
50.Ke3
g6 51.Ra1 h5 52.Rxa4 1-0.
A brilliant example of a won game turned into a disastrous
defeat. |
Cleveland Plain Dealer,
1923.01.07
|
|
The final two newly recovered games played by
Capablanca
during exhibitions in Cleveland were also discovered in the
Cleveland
Plain Dealer chess column. Like the game above, they were
published
the week after other exhibition games, ones previously recovered by
researchers,
had been printed. In the first, G. A. Anderson, of Akron, Ohio,
won
a ten dollar prize after Capablanca judged his effort had been the
second
best game played in the thirty-four game exhibition. Anderson was
noted by the Plain Dealer to be the brother of another Cleveland
chess player, Eric Anderson, the Cleveland chess
shark. |
|
Capablanca,JR Anderson,GA
|
Simul
|
D33/05 |
Tarrasch: Schlechter (Prague)
|
|
1926.12.11 |
USA Cleveland, OH (Cleveland Athletic
Club)
|
|
Annotations from the Cleveland Plain Dealer
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 c5 4.cxd5 exd5 5.g3 Nc6 6.Bg2 h6
7.0-0 Nf6 8.Nc3 Be6 9.a3 Qd7 10.dxc5 Bxc5 11.b4 Be7 12.Bb2 a6 13.Na4 Rd8
14.Rc1 0-0 15.Nc5 Bxc5 16.Rxc5 Ne4 17.Rc1 Bh3 18.Ne5 Nxe5 19.Bxe5 Bxg2
20.Kxg2 Rc8 21.Qd4 f6 22.Bf4 Qb5 23.Kf3 Rfe8 24.Rxc8 Rxc8 25.Rd1 Nc3
26.Rd2
Rc4 27.Qd3 d4 28.Kg2 Qd5+ 29.f3 Nb5
Looks as if 29...f5 would have won. |
30.a4 Nc3 31.e3 Nxa4 32.exd4 Rxb4
33.Bxh6
If the bishop is taken White should at least draw by perpetual
check. |
33...Rb3 34.Qg6 Qf7 35.Qg4
35...Nc3
35...f5 would draw: 35...f5 36.Qg5 Kh7 37.Bxg7 Qxg7 and White must
draw by perpetual check. |
36.d5 f5 37.Qc4 Nxd5
38.Rxd5
The only move, but sufficient. |
38...Rb2+ 39.Kf1 Rb1+ 40.Kf2 Rb2+
Not 40...gxh6, due to 41. Qc8+ |
41.Ke1 Qe6+ 42.Kd1 Kh7
Not 42...gxh6 because of 43.Rd8+ Kf7 44.Rf8+ Ke7 45.Re8+. Nor;
42...Qxh6
due to 43.Rd6+. |
43.Bd2 b5 44.Qh4+ Kg8 45.Qd8+ Kh7 46.Qd7 Qxd7 47.Rxd7
b4 48.Kc1 Rb3 49.f4 a5 50.Kc2 a4 51.Bc1 Rc3+ 52.Kb1 Rf3 53.Bb2 Rb3
54.Kc2
1-0.
Anderson did not take down the concluding moves that spelled his
defeat.
After he moves his rook White plays Rxg7+ and Ra7, which should
win. |
Cleveland Plain Dealer,
1926.12.26
|
|
The final game recovered was another played by
Elliott
E. Stearns. Stearns had lost to Capablanca in a Cleveland
exhibition
in February 1922, but later that year had won a game against him in
another.
Both games, as noted in the chart above, have been recovered and appear
in the Caparrós book. His third try against the Cuban
genius,
however, was not as successful as his second, nor has it been recovered,
until now. Stearns himself provided the notes that follow. |
|
Capablanca,JR Stearns,EE
|
Simul
|
D30/10 |
QGD: Vienna (Capablanca)
|
|
1926.12.11 |
USA Cleveland, OH (Cleveland Athletic
Club)
|
|
Annotations by Elliott E. Stearns
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Bg5 Nbd7 5.e3 c6 6.Nbd2 Be7
7.Bd3 dxc4 8.Nxc4 Nd5 9.Bxe7 Qxe7 10.0-0 0-0 11.Rc1 f5 12.Re1 N7f6 13.e4
fxe4 14.Bxe4 Nxe4 15.Rxe4 Nf6 16.Re1 Nd5 17.Qe2 Bd7 18.Nfe5 Rae8 19.g3
Rf6 20.f4 Bc8 21.Nd2 Ref8 22.Ne4 Rf5 23.a3 a6 24.Rc2 Nf6 25.Ng5 Nd5
26.Ngf3
Qe8 27.Nh4 R5f6 28.Ng4 R6f7 29.Qd3 Nxf4 30.gxf4 Rxf4
31.h3
31...h5
31...Qh5 would have been much better: 31...Qh5 32.Qg3 [However,
L. W. Brand, the chess columns editor, noted the following:
Stearns did
not submit an analysis of 32.Ng2 Rf3 33.Re3, which seems to win for
White.]
32...g5 33.Ng2 Rf3 34.Qe5 Qg6 35.Rf2 R3f5 36.Rxf5 exf5 37.Nf2 h5 and
Black
should win with three pawns for the piece. The sacrifice would therefore
appear to be sound and Black would also seem to have drawing chances by
playing 33...Rxd4 [in this variation]. |
32.Nh6+ 1-0.
Cleveland Plain Dealer,
1926.12.26
|
|
Pleased as I was to find these games, and to
offer
them here, perhaps the most important lesson for each of us to learn
from
this accounting is that much more exists to be found concerning even the
greatest of chess players, in terms of their activities, statements, and
games. It is impossible to speculate how many more such games
could
be unearthed were interested readers who either visit or live in or near
cities around the United States, and elsewhere, willing to spend an
afternoon
examining the local newspaper microfilm available in public
libraries.
All it really takes is a little time and knowledge. Results can
never
be guaranteed, but when such games are recovered, they offer a great
deal
of satisfaction for those who have made the effort to find them. |
© 1999 John S. Hilbert. All
Rights
Reserved.
|