Lord Dunsany 2: his most famous game of chess, by James O'Fee

Continued from Part 1:

It's been some days since I started a series on Lord Dunsany, and other topics have intervened. Just a few days ago we learnt that Dunsany was a major influence on the writing of Neil Gaiman (see here).

But now let us turn to the most famous chess game ever played by Dunsany. For this I'm indebted to Edward Winter's Lord Dunsany and Chess in his Chess Notes (see here). This was played in London in a simultaneous exhibition on 12 April 1929 against José Raúl Capablanca. Although Alekhine had become World Champion in 1927 by defeated Capa in their match, the Cuban remained of formidible strength and was determined to win back the crown. He believed that he was entitled to a return match with Alekhine, but the match never took place.

Dunsany misplayed the opening and lost a pawn, which should have doomed him to defeat against his great opponent. But Dunsany displayed his playing strength in his fight-back. Although Capa sought to simplify into a won ending, finally Dunsany won a pawn back to reach an equal position. Dunsany claims that the game appeared in the chess column of The Times. Edward Winter took the score from the Times Literary Supplement of 25 April 1929 and the game has been published many times since then.

José Raúl Capablanca – Lord Dunsany
London, 12 April 1929
Ruy López
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 b5 5 Bb3 Nf6 6 Ng5 d5 7 exd5 Ne7 8 d6 Ned5 9 dxc7 Qxc7 10 Nc3 Bb7 11 a4 b4 12 Nxd5 Bxd5 13 Bxd5 Nxd5 14 O-O Be7 15 d4 O-O 16 dxe5 Qxe5 17 Re1 Qd6 18 Ne4 Qc6 19 Bg5 Bxg5 20 Nxg5 Rac8 21 Qf3 Nf6 22 Re2 h6 23 Qxc6 Rxc6 24 Nf3 a5 25 Nd4 Rc5 26 Nb3 Rd5 27 Rae1 Nd7 28 Re4 Nb6 29 Re5 Rfd8 30 Rxd5 Rxd5 31 Kf1 Nxa4 Drawn.

You can play through the game on the Chessgames.com site -

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1476306

Against Capa's Lopez, Dunsany played 3....a6, the move introduced by Morphy and the most popular choice today. A second thrust to drive back the bishop, .....b5, often appears as well, but normally left till a few moves later. To play it immediately, 4.....b5, as Dunsany chose, is playable, but only if followed by 5....Na5 to exchange White's attacking bishop on b3. In playing 5......Nf6 instead (a normal developing move in itself), Dunsany exposed himself to 6 Ng5 with a double attack on his pawn on f7. Dunsany was forced to drop a pawn in the ensuing play.

Winter tells us that Lord Dunsany wrote an account of the contest on pages 112-113 of his autobiography While the Sirens Slept (London, circa 1945):

‘Early that same spring [1929] Capablanca, perhaps the greatest chessplayer the world has ever known, and at that time Champion of the World [sic], came to London and gave a display at Selfridge’s.

He played simultaneous chess against three representatives from each of the seven counties that are nearest to London, which means roughly the seven strongest counties in England, and Mr Selfridge offered a prize to whatever county did best against him. I was asked to be one of the players from Kent.

We sat at a row of tables in a long room with a large crowd leaning over us, and Señor Capablanca walked along the row. I was rather anxious that it should not be thought that I had been chosen to play merely because I was president of the Kent Chess Association, and the only way of showing that was to hold out for at least half an hour. I have mentioned earlier my ignorance of the openings, and Capablanca, who of course had first move on every board, chose the opening that probably corresponds with whatever is the most complicated theory in any science, that is to say the Ruy López. I made for my fourth move one that should have come later, not realizing how much it mattered.

Of this simple blunder Capablanca naturally took immediate advantage, and I looked very unlikely to hold out for half an hour. But then I began to play, and by sacrificing a pawn got out of the muddle into which I had strayed, though playing with a pawn down against Capablanca did not seem a very hopeful proposition. Curiously enough my blunder saved me, for in the complications of an ordinary Ruy López as played by Capablanca I should no doubt have been easily beaten; but the clock went on and I was still playing, and at last I got the pawn back, and at the end of four hours when play ended, I had an obvious draw, and Capablanca conceded rather reluctantly a draw to my neighbour on my left, so that Kent had scored one point against him, a draw being half; and a player from Hertfordshire had won his game, and, these two counties being equal, the man who had won and we two who had drawn were all given a prize by Selfridges. For Capablanca had beaten all the rest.

As the prize was handed to me the representative of the firm who gave it said “And if there is anything you would prefer, do let us know.” The prize was wrapped up in a box, and I said I was sure that there would not be anything that I should prefer to it. But when I got home and opened the box, I found that the prize was a cocktail-shaker; a very handsome one, but still to a chessplayer as useless as reindeer-harness to anyone in a Southern country. So in spite of what I had said, I wrote asking if, with the exception that I have mentioned, I could be given anything else, and I was kindly given, duly inscribed, the largest and most useful thermos flask that I have ever had, and after nearly 15 years it is as good as ever. My game with Capablanca was recorded in The Times, in the Chess Column, that year.’

Lord Dunsany had also played against Capablanca in a simultaneous display at the Imperial Chess Club in London on 22 November 1928. He lost. Source (report only): The Tablet, 15 December 1928.

Extensive chess-related extracts from While the Sirens Slept were published in CHESS, January 1946, pages 82-83 and 85. A few passages were also given in Chess World, 1 December 1946, pages 250-251.

Link

Lord Dunsany and Chess - Chess Notes, by Edward Winter