LaviChess

Capablanca vs. Marshall, New York 1918

Frank Marshall sacrifices a pawn in the opening and then a knight and a bishop to get at the white king. José Raúl Capablanca finds the defense, takes his king to safety and wins. Today the gambit is called the Marshall Attack.

  • WhiteJosé Raúl Capablanca
  • BlackFrank Marshall
  • WhereNew York
  • WhenOctober 23, 1918
  • EventNew York 1918, round 1
  • Result1–0, White won
  • OpeningRuy Lopez, Marshall Attack (C89)
  • Length36 moves

During the First World War, international chess almost came to a standstill. In New York, though, Capablanca won tournament after tournament: 1914, 1915, 1916 and 1918. The 1918 tournament was played at the Manhattan Chess Club, and in the first round, on October 23, Capablanca had White against Frank Marshall.

Marshall answered with a pawn sacrifice in the Ruy Lopez, 8…d5, which led to a wild attack on the white king. It is often said that he had kept the idea secret ever since he lost a match to Capablanca in 1909. That isn't proven. The chess historian Edward Winter has shown that Capablanca opened with 1.e4 against Marshall six times between 1910 and 1918, and that each time Marshall avoided the Ruy Lopez: five times with Petrov's Defense and once with the French Defense. Marshall had also already played the gambit in a consultation game published in March 1918.

They played two sessions a day, with a break before the evening. According to The New York Times the next day, Capablanca had begun to get a grip on the position by the break, and in the evening session Marshall didn't last long.

The players

José Raúl Capablanca (1888–1942) from Cuba became world champion three years later, in 1921, and kept the title until 1927. He was famous for his endgame technique and his fast play. In 1909 the young Capablanca had beaten Marshall in a match with eight wins, one loss and fourteen draws.

Frank Marshall (1877–1944) was born in New York and grew up in Montreal. He was U.S. champion from 1909 to 1936 and won the strong tournament at Cambridge Springs in 1904, ahead of world champion Emanuel Lasker. He was known for his tactical sharpness, and in 1915 he founded the Marshall Chess Club in New York, which is still going today.

The game move by move

Step through with the arrows or tap a move. Moves with a dot have a comment.

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José Raúl Capablanca has the white pieces, Frank Marshall the black.

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Open on the analysis board

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Play like Capablanca

Guess the moves Capablanca played, one at a time. The move from the game earns two points, and a move Lavi thinks is about as good earns one. The other side's moves and the game's notes come as you go.

Play like CapablancaPlay like Marshall

The moments that decided it

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After 8…d5: Marshall sacrifices a pawn. Today the gambit is called the Marshall Attack.
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After 15…Nxf2: the knight sacrifice. It looks dangerous, but Capablanca finds the defense.
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After 24.Kc2: the white king has made it from g1 to c2, and Black's attack is over.

The end

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The final position after 36.Bxf7+. Black resigned after 36.Bxf7+.

Why the game is famous

The game is counted as a textbook example of defense. Capablanca accepts the sacrifices, gives back material when he has to and takes his king across the whole board to safety. Then he turns the tables and wins with a passed pawn.

Marshall lost the game, but the gambit lived on. With 11…c6 instead of 11…Nf6 it is fully playable, and it has been used by, among others, Boris Spassky in his match against Mikhail Tal in 1965. Between two well-prepared players it usually ends in a draw, which is why many players avoid it with White. Read more about the opening on the Ruy Lopez page.

The whole game with notes, as text

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 The Ruy Lopez. 3… a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O Black castles before playing …d6. That is what makes the sacrifice on the next move possible. 8. c3 d5 The Marshall Attack. Black gives up a pawn to get the pieces out quickly and attack the white king. 9. exd5 Nxd5 10. Nxe5 Nxe5 11. Rxe5 White has won a pawn. Now Capablanca has to survive the attack. 11… Nf6 Marshall's move in the game. Later he himself, and independently the English master Stuart Milner-Barry, concluded that 11…c6 is better. It is the main line today. 12. Re1 Bd6 13. h3 Ng4 14. Qf3 Qh4 The queen and the bishop on d6 aim at the white king. The knight on g4 can't be taken: after 15.hxg4 Black gets a decisive attack. 15. d4 Nxf2 Marshall sacrifices the knight. It looks dangerous, but later analysis has shown that the sacrifice doesn't work. 15…h5 was better, although White is better then too. 16. Re2 The rook attacks the knight on f2 and guards the second rank. 16… Bg4 The bishop attacks the queen. 17. hxg4 Capablanca takes the bishop. Black is now a bishop down, and the knight on f2 is attacked three times. 17… Bh2+ Check. The king has only one square, f1. 18. Kf1 Bg3 Black threatens …Qh1#. 19. Rxf2 Capablanca gives back the exchange, rook for knight, to get rid of the knight on f2. 19… Qh1+ 20. Ke2 The king walks out into the open. It is heading over to the queenside, where no black pieces can reach it. 20… Bxf2 21. Bd2 A calm developing move in the middle of the attack. The bishop comes out, and the king gets a path to d3 and c2. 21… Bh4 22. Qh3 Rae8+ 23. Kd3 Qf1+ 24. Kc2 The king has gone from g1 to c2. Black's attack is over. White has two minor pieces for a rook, and now it is White's turn to counterattack. 24… Bf2 25. Qf3 Qg1 26. Bd5 c5 27. dxc5 Bxc5 28. b4 Bd6 29. a4 a5 30. axb5 axb4 31. Ra6 bxc3 32. Nxc3 Bb4 33. b6 White has a passed pawn on the b-file, and now it heads for b8. 33… Bxc3 34. Bxc3 h6 35. b7 The pawn is one step from becoming a queen. 35… Re3 36. Bxf7+ Marshall resigned. All three replies lead to mate: 36…Kh8 37.Rxh6#, 36…Kh7 37.Qf5+ g6 38.Qxg6#, and after 36…Rxf7 37.b8=Q+ it is mate a few moves later.

PGN – the game as text for other chess programs
[Event "New York 1918, round 1"]
[Site "New York"]
[Date "1918.10.23"]
[Round "?"]
[White "José Raúl Capablanca"]
[Black "Frank Marshall"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C89"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. c3 d5 9. exd5 Nxd5 10. Nxe5 Nxe5 11. Rxe5 Nf6 12. Re1 Bd6 13. h3 Ng4 14. Qf3 Qh4 15. d4 Nxf2 16. Re2 Bg4 17. hxg4 Bh2+ 18. Kf1 Bg3 19. Rxf2 Qh1+ 20. Ke2 Bxf2 21. Bd2 Bh4 22. Qh3 Rae8+ 23. Kd3 Qf1+ 24. Kc2 Bf2 25. Qf3 Qg1 26. Bd5 c5 27. dxc5 Bxc5 28. b4 Bd6 29. a4 a5 30. axb5 axb4 31. Ra6 bxc3 32. Nxc3 Bb4 33. b6 Bxc3 34. Bxc3 h6 35. b7 Re3 36. Bxf7+ 1-0

Download .pgn

Sources

  • Chessgames.com, Capablanca–Marshall 1918
  • PGN Mentor, Capablanca.pgn
  • Wikipedia: Marshall Attack
  • Edward Winter: The Marshall Gambit

The moves compared in two databases (Chessgames, PGN Mentor, both Capablanca's and Marshall's files): identical, 71 half-moves. Wikipedia gives the same moves from 15…Nxf2 to the end. Marshall resigned after 36.Bxf7+. The date, round and venue (Manhattan Chess Club) from Chessgames and Edward Winter. Every move has also been replayed by computer and checked against the rules of chess.

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Updated November 6, 2026