Lasker vs. Capablanca | World Championship 1921 - GM Yasser Seirawan

Grandmaster Yasser Seirawan goes way back to the end of the longest reign in world championship history: Emanuel Lasker vs. José Raul Capablanca. The match was delayed for years due to The Great War and failed negotiations. Yasser covers the pivotal Game 5.
2015.12.03
Jose Raul Capablanca vs Emanuel Lasker, Lasker - Capablanca World Championship Match (1921): D63 Queen's Gambit Declined, Orthodox defence, 7.Rc1

[@rogercarl3969]

One of the things I like in chess lectures is when someone, like what Yasser does here, goes against the prevailing attitude. Lasker was not as bad, nor was this game as one sided, as generally people say especially based upon the result. Details and subtlety matter and gives a nuance as to why this is a great game.

[@sanelprtenjaca9147]

Agree. Kramnik also noted that difference in strenght between these two players wasn't the key of the result of the match, but Capa's better physical preparation and 20 years of age difference was. Capablanca probably was the slightly better player, but let's not forget that Lasker was already 52.

[@theoneandonlysmack]

Yasser is a wonderful lecturer. Such a gent.

[@arnieus866]

I give Yasser a 2900 rating for commentary.

[@StonesonExperience]

More Yasser!

[@jasondoe2596]

Incredible lecture and very instructive analysis by GM Seirawan! Thanks!

[@preussenuberalles1682]

You are such a great teacher, Mr. Seirawan. Thanks for your explanations.

[@eadunkley]

Well presented by GM Seirawan!

[@anglosaxon5874]

Another great Yasser lecture.....thank you!

[@sdavis9191]

Dear GM Yasser, you are such an inspiration and a joy to watch. Thanks for your contributions!

[@snowhusk]

12 is quite late? as a 22-year old guy who started playing chess last year i shed some manly tears, lamenting my lost potential :c

[@renanbrazparente449]

Well, Yasser says 12 is late but he still went on to become world junior champiom less than 8 years latter, if he managed to catch up to the soviet kids starting at 5 i would say you can still become a pretty strong player, just world elite level is probably off the table.

[@JaBarge303]

Максим Шилов don't be down on yourself I started at 16 pretty much and now 2100 at 18

[@TheClassicWorld]

'You can be good with hard work, but you'll never be great.' - Bobby Fischer 'Man, the truth hurts.' - Ben Finegold

[@Atombender]

Korchnoy peaked at the ripe old age of 47. The only player ahead of him at that time was a young Karpov.

[@xDMrGarrison]

What's so fun about realizing your potential? Just play chess if you like it and if not, don't.

[@hoijarvi]

That was fantastic. I've seen the game, but never in this depth.

[@user-uj2cq6rd8n]

If he was my Math Teacher, i would definitely always enjoy listening to what he's going to lecture. His teaching skills are off the charts 😂😂😂😂Better than some teachers i guess...😂😂✌

[@AlabamaChess]

Yasser's presentation is exceptionally instructive and really does a magnificent job exploring this classic game. Lasker's tactical play was quite resourceful in this game but not enough for Capablanca's precision.

[@vincentvanpoeke2891]

I always thoroughly enjoy the instructive analysis GM Seirawan provides us with! :) Great job!

[@barrydavies4786]

Bravo! Yasser.

[@AG-ld6rv]

Thanks GM Yasser, 10x US World Champ.

[@GeometricStalemate]

Thank you Yasser, excellent lecture. Might now consider playing the Lasker Defence! Though today there's all those Catalans to deal with... 😅

[@quagapp]

Very good. Lasker actually tried to resign as World Champion (and give the title to Capablanca) before the match as he, from memory, wasn't too well. He certainly needed the win. But it is good as Seirawan did to be critical of these "great" games. No GM then or now is infallible. Capablanca was not only a "simplifier" though, that's a bit unfair. I think he realised himself things were easy after Qa4. So in a sense he also adopted the right strategy...as Carlsen does today if necessary. But I found similar things analysing games by Alekhine with an engine and his wins were not always that convincing esp. in I think it was the first game against Bogoljubov. And his win over Capablanca was not a push over as there were many complex games as there were in the drawn match Schlecter-Lasker. The draws were not dull at all. Schlecter equalised but the rules meant he lost the match. But the principle of fighting back is well illustrated here as well as the point of being reasonably skeptical of commentators. And knowing how to "read" computer evaluations.

[@greense65]

There were some good fighting draws in this Capablanca-Lasker match, too.

[@carlosfcruz-rr9hp]

Excellent commentary .i agree with everything he said.l believe lasker at this point had been champion for a long time and the world was ready for a new blood.

[@gonzalojaner4706]

I missed Yasser's voice since the london chess classic ended. perfectly timed video! thabks for another amazing lecture!

[@amandeepbhullar]

Yasser is great teacher, but his deep variations some time confuses me. I think his teaching style is best for advance players

[@rocchirodrigo]

The classics should be revisited. Come to this game later on, and you will learn more from it!

[@dago6410]

everyone's fav GM - Y.Seirawan

[@bigbrother5024]

Yippee, you're panning the cam to follow him at last! Now these are just perfect, blows every other chess tutorial on yt out of the water. Keep 'em coming! Btw after the London Chess live coverage, seeing a video with Yasser < 10 hours seems strangely short :-)

[@vegardhvidsten8560]

Wow, really great to see the old giants fight eachother. Very nice lecture by a very nice guy :-)

[@harabas3499]

i subscribed at Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis because of Yasser!!!

[@SimDawg]

What a fantastic lecture.

[@zaidaneduardo]

I really like Ben and Yasser, but I also miss Ronen.

[@yanair2091]

Another great video by the best chess commenter.

[@stuartangely8017]

GM Seirawan is one of my favourites to listen to. Very instructional. Although, did anyone else notice that he may have a sore throat in this video? And does anyone else think it makes him sound kind of like Christopher Walken sometimes?

[@rpralica]

Yasser je great teacher and very funny guy

[@damacataleptica7248]

I love Yasser, and i love his style, i would like to meet him. Sorry for my English.

[@paulgoogol2652]

I really expected the computer to play h5 after h6 to lock in the king just to get stuck. this position looks like an easy draw to me who would blunder at any point before any kind of computer endgame :^) nice lecture. I like the classics and Yasser a lot.

[@7annakh]

In 24:22 why doesn't black capture the pawn on f2 with check and only then recapture the rock?

[@samvargas2868]

This guy is the best!

[@Cyst11]

Engines have advanced somewhat. The winning plan in the immortal pin position is simply to trade off one of the pawns on the a and b file, lock the remaining pawns on the a file, and either walk the king over to collect (if black pawn ends up on a5), or if black pawn is on a6, force a queen trade with queen e5 (when rook is on f5) to transfer to a winning endgame (rook collects white pawn on a-file, and white promotes). Additional nuance is that the white queen can't avoid the queen trade because the black pawn controls b6. It's a fairly elegant winning idea.

[@DurinSBane-zh9hj]

It's interesting that in his own notes to the game Capa says that he missed better moves and it was Lasker's mistake with gxh4 that he threw away the draw

[@SiChange]

The “Alekhine freeing maneuver” is conventionally called the Capablanca freeing maneuver defining the Orthodox Defense in the QGD. The ECO code is D67.

[@marshallfarrier4732]

Great analysis as always. It's sometimes hard to see what Yasser is referring to, though, as the overlay board blocks what is being pointed to on the screen being used in real life. It might be better to show only Yasser and the screen he's using if there's a camera angle where we can see what his audience is seeing.

[@atvisualization]

I hope they'll post a video of key games from the London chess classic with their analysis. It's hard to watch a single game from the tournament. Or use the games in their lecture.

[@TrondArneAusdal]

+Humboldt ChessLyfe agreed

[@mattbell5602]

Superb!!

[@rezganger]

amazing!

[@12jswilson]

Overall, I think Lasker was a stronger player than Capablanca. He won every tournament he played in from 1906-1924 and Capablanca was at a couple of those tournaments. The first tournament where both Lasker and Capablanca played in and Capa finished ahead of him was in 1936 (Moscow). Lasker was 67 years old at the time.

[@Atombender]

WWI effectively prevented Capablanca from becoming the world champion 3-6 years earlier.

[@havanascp9602]

Alex K. Correct.

[@fearedflash]

@Oissev Onos I agree. Lasker usually finished in tournaments ahead of other and very strong players, Capablanca included. Only when Lasker was 67 years old Capablanca Capablanca finished ahead of him. (source wikiapedia)

[@omarhussein4303]

great lecture but it's hard enough keeping track of the variations without him making points without the use of the computer

[@petersmythe6484]

(Around 16:30) Capablanca's ability at finding simplicity and winning positions with small advantages I find quite special. "Spectacular Play" can also "Spectacularly Fail" with slight miscalculations and oversights.

[@Nozickfy]

It’s not Alekhine’s freeing maneuver but Capablanca’s freeing maneuver.

[@TheClassicWorld]

Let's not forget, Lasker was a great Chess player and mind.

[@kadiremreaskin]

intresting game..Lasker Legend ..

[@havanascp9602]

K. Emre Aşkın he was. Capa was just a little better. Ww1 held capa back a few yrs. 3-6 yrs.

[@Chessmapling]

Can someone explain why Laskers last move is a blunder? Why did he resign?

[@cherryswirlchale9511]

Chessmapling it drops the knight. After check on b8 and then on e5, black has to swap queens, then the rook takes the queen with check and picks up the knight.

[@manuch68]

Great commentary! However, Lasker was not seeking challenger. He had practically forfeited his title and only played because WW had ruined his finances and prize fund was considerable.

[@lostblue5651]

spectacular class about queens gambit declined

[@petersmythe6484]

(Around 20:30) Seirawan probably did not resign easily (I have no followed his games, but predict such).

[@IHWKR]

who would have thought Capablanca was so "capable"?

[@havanascp9602]

•_ the whole world 😂

[@user-nr6pq6gy7w]

Did somebody see that he always said lasker instead of cabablanca ?

[@penearth]

brilliant

[@zabiahjones9069]

every chess game should begin with the orthodox defense

[@SteveRunciman]

I want to attend a Yasser lecture. Does he only speak to members of the club or is the general public allowed in???

[@MadderMel]

I love Yasser , but dissing Capa is too much !

[@ChromaticTempest]

This echo Kramnik v Leko for anyone else?

[@JaBarge303]

ChromaticTempest why?

[@michaelmcmanus9731]

Isn't BB5 better than Qa4?

[@AUFalcon64]

it looks like game six Fischer Spassky game 6 with the queen moves

[@skadaification]

i cant imagine this guy smoking weed. he sure gonna funny to listen

[@pop9095]

?!?

[@freddieelohopea6961]

+Julien Martineau ?

[@purplehill45]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

[@apexmaintenance461]

Why? Why Qc6?? 10:27

[@dawnduek1180]

Fischer spassky game 6 resembles this game

[@psycbr]

what is the word the says at 17:12 meaning "forced moved or only move"???

[@DurinSBane-zh9hj]

Box move. The ECO (and others) use a box shape as a universal symbol meaning "only" move, along with ? for "dubious", + - as "white is winning" - + "black is winning" etc.

[@psycbr]

@@DurinSBane-zh9hj thanks

[@ludogi4210]

After Rook F5 at 28:39, why not knight x E3 ?

[@Veaseify]

+ludo gi because of Qd8+..if black goes Qe8 then after Qxe8 Kxe8 Re5 white wins the knight. If Kg7 then white eventually wins the queen starting with Rg5+ Kh6 , Rg3 and dropping the Q back to d2

[@hamzaa.8082]

what if the black night take the pawn in e3 at 30:37?

[@IAmEki]

I think Rxf7 would be good there. Then you exchange queens, and the rook can grab the queenside pawns. The black king would be cut off for a while, either giving the white king time to grab the h-pawn, or to march with the queenside pawns. The black knight can't defend the h-pawn and attack the queenside pawns at the same time.

[@benkar2039]

Alekhine's maneuver !?!? d5*c4 and Nf6-d5 .. it's Capablanca's

[@smithbob8236]

Steinitz beat Zukertort, not Blackburne

[@RicardoAGuitar]

He ALSO beat Blackburne in a match

[@dr.danielpatrick5060]

Yasser sounds a bit like comedian Pete Holmes

[@nicholasmatthew773]

yeah i love chess

[@edmundasjauniskis9347]

Variant: if Black play Qxg5 Nxg5 cxd Rd1 better is Ne5 and Rxd4 Rbc8 f3 h6 Nh3 Rc1+White can't play Rd1 Black play Rxd1+ Kxd1 and Nxf3!

[@renehenriksen1735]

Zzzzzz did they say Capa and Lasker? Couldn´t we have Tal and Fischer instead? The other guys are simply too normal....

[@lostblue5651]

Tal is nothing compared to Capa

[@renehenriksen1735]

Tal is much more entertaining in his play than Capa...

[@billyzekick6959]

there are a lot of Tal tales in that channel look at them

[@brabhamfreaman166]

René Henriksen I think you've missed the point.

[@renehenriksen1735]

And I think you guys are too. Guys like Capa and Petrosian are often quite boring. Petrosian despite og great positional skills look like a mummy!

[@maketimak4294]

Capablanca was reborn morphy, carlsen is reborn capablanca.

[@TheGPel]

+mäketimäk I can see the carslen capa, but capa morphy? whats going on there?

[@maketimak4294]

+TheGPel Capablanca was called the "Cuban morphy" during hes days. Read your history.

[@paulgoogol2652]

+ArseneLupin2009 at least you talk like you're already nuts.

[@Isaiah_McIntosh]

+ArseneLupin2009 When was fischer a 1300?

[@melodychest9020]

+7796761 in the womb!?

[@MrIzzyDizzy]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/aGK0oaaBbLGFg5Y - OH CAPABLANCA ! - ok Lasker is vindicated, but this is still a fun song

[@numcrun]

Raves on about Qa3 and never explains why it is good! Agadmator is a much worse player but a far superior explainer. And all those variation windows are distracting and annoying.