Annotated chess game: Marshall Law

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ANNOTATED GAME

Marshall Law
Frank Marshall vs. J. R. Capablanca
Annotated by: last_archimedean

(1564)
Chess opening: QGD (D53), Lasker variation

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Capablanca and Marshall played 51 games in tournament or match play -- and as usual with Capa when he played another expert player, the majority of those games ended in draws. This is a rare decisive result -- and even rarer, a Capablanca loss. Capablanca himself annotated the game.

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. e3 Ne4	The difficulty for Black in this variation -- as with virtually all variations of the Queen's Gambit Declined -- is the slow development of the Q B.



6. Bxe7 Qxe7 7. Bd3	Better is 7 P x P.
	1 comment archduke_piccolo (2332) on 28-Aug-25: The game is now even.


7... Nxc3 8. bxc3 Nd7	Black's best line is 8... P x P 9 B x B P P - Q Kt 3, followed by the development of the Q B at Q Kt 2.



9. Nf3 O-O	Black cannot now play the line in the previous note because White can prevent Black's ,,, B - Kt 2 by playing B - Kt 5 followed by Kt - K 5.



10. cxd5 exd5 11. Qb3 Nf6 12. a4 c5	Safer is 12... P - B 3.



13. Qa3 b6	This exposes Black to further attack by P - R 5 without any compensation for it.



14. a5 Bb7 15. O-O	White is now ready to launch a fierce Queen-side attack.



15... Qc7 16. Rfb1 Nd7	I never saw White's reply of B - B 5. It never even passed through my mind that this was threatened. Black's best move is 16... R (B 1) - Kt 1. If that move loses, any other move would also lose.
	1 comment archduke_piccolo (2332) on 28-Aug-25: Either rook to b8 looks OK to me. Could it be argued that Bf5 was 'threatened', though? Black's knight move seems rather to have brought the move into consideration.


17. Bf5 Rfc8	From bad to worse. 17... Kt - B 3 was Black's only chance.
	1 comment archduke_piccolo (2332) on 28-Aug-25: Really? How about ...Rfb8, instead? But it seems that White's pressure on the Q-side has stepped up, leaving Black with a difficult defensive task.


18. Bxd7 Qxd7 19. a6	White forces the attack home.



19... Bc6 20. dxc5	This wins a Pawn.



20... bxc5 21. Qxc5 Rab8	The game was lost. One move was as as good or bad as another.
	1 comment archduke_piccolo (2332) on 28-Aug-25: (??) White certainly had a big advantage, but the move that Black has just played transforms the situation from near-desperate to dead lost. After 21...Re8 22.Nd4 Rac8 23.Nxc6 Rxc6 24.Qd4 h5 (say), White would still have had some work to do. But that is what happens when under sustained pressure: an ill-considered slip brings down the hammer.


22. Rxb8 Rxb8 23. Ne5 Qf5 24. f4 Rb6	A last trap. If 25 Kt x B, Black draws with ... R - Kt 8 ch.
	2 comments archduke_piccolo (2332) on 28-Aug-25: The knight on e5 covers the g6-square, obviating the drawing chance by 24...Rb1+(??). last_archimedean (1564) on 02-Sep-25: That's why it would have to move first, capturing the bishop, for the drawing line to work.


25. Qxb6	Black resigns. A well-played game by Marshall.
	1 comment archduke_piccolo (2332) on 28-Aug-25: A nice 'Marshall' flourish to bring down the curtain. After 25...axb6 26.Nxc6 Qd3 27.a7 Qxe3+ 28.Kh1 g6 29.a8=Q+ yields White an easy win.