Capablanca's Riddle

Capablanca's riddle is one of those deceptively simple positions from his practice in which the natural-looking move turns out to be exactly wrong. The point hides behind an everyday recapture or regrouping, and only the calculation of a few concrete lines reveals the truth. The chapter lets the reader solve the riddle before showing Capablanca's answer.

♜♞♝♛♚♝♞♜♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♜♞♝♛♚♝♞♜a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
♞ Play from here
Start
Reti, Richard — Capablanca, Jose Raul Moscow · 1925.??.?? · 1/2-1/2
♜♞♝♛♚♝♞♜♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♜♞♝♛♚♝♞♜a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
♞ Play from here
Start
Capablanca, Jose Raul — Alekhine, Alexander World Championship 13th · 1927.11.09 · 1/2-1/2
♜♞♝♛♚♝♞♜♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♜♞♝♛♚♝♞♜a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
♞ Play from here
Start
Trifunovic, Petar — Pirc, Vasja Saltsjobaden Interzonal · 1948.??.?? · 1/2-1/2
♜♞♝♛♚♝♞♜♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♜♞♝♛♚♝♞♜a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
♞ Play from here
Start
Pachman, Ludek — Podgorny, Jiri 1950.??.?? · 0-1
♜♞♝♛♚♝♞♜♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♜♞♝♛♚♝♞♜a8b7c6d5e4f3g2h1
♞ Play from here
Start
Bobotsov, Milko G — Petrosian, Tigran V Lugano ol (Men) fin-A · 1968.10.26 · 0-1