Last time we looked at a position from the Steinitz – Chigorin World Championship match of 1892.

Chigorin blundered with 32 Bb4?? and Steinitz now forced a checkmate in two moves with 32 …Rxh2+, which enabled him to win the match 10-8 and retain his title.

Our next position features the Third World Chess Champion.

Capablanca, World Champion from 1921-7, very rarely lost games of chess and hardly ever made big mistakes or blunders. Yet in this game he blundered on the ninth move.

Saemisch – Capablanca

Karlsbad, 1929

Capablanca played 9 …Ba6 here, to start pressuring White’s potentially weak pawns.

Can you find Saemisch’s very strong reply?

Answer next time…