Example 53.—From the Havana International Masters Tournament, 1913. (Ruy Lopez.) White: J. R. Capablanca. Black: D. Janowski.
| 1. P - K 4 | P - K 4 | |
| 2. Kt - K B 3 | Kt - Q B 3 | |
| 3. B - Kt 5 | Kt - B 3 | |
| 4. O - O | P - Q 3 | |
| 5. B × Kt ch | P × B | |
| 6. P - Q 4 | B - K 2 | |
| 7. Kt - B 3 |
P × P might be better, but at the time I was not familiar with that variation, and therefore I played what I knew to be good.
| 7. ........ | Kt - Q 2 | |
| 8. P × P | P × P | |
| 9. Q - K 2 | O - O | |
| 10. R - Q 1 | B - Q3 | |
| 11. B - Kt 5 | Q - K 1 | |
| 12. Kt - K R 4 | P - Kt 3 |
Black offers the exchange in order to gain time and to obtain an attack. Without considering at all whether or not such a course was justified on the part of Black, it is evident that as far as White is concerned there is only one thing to do, viz., to win the exchange and then prepare to weather the storm. Then, once it is passed, to act quickly with all forces to derive the benefit of numerical superiority.
| 13. B - R 6 | Kt - B 4 | |
| 14. R - Q 2 | R - Kt 1 | |
| 15. Kt - Q 1 | R - Kt 5 |
To force White to play P - Q B 4, and thus create a hole at Q 5 for his Knight.[[7]] Such grand tactics show the hand of a master.
| 16. P - Q B 4 | Kt - K 3 | |
| 17. B × R | Q × B | |
| 18. Kt - K 3 |
Kt - K B 3 was better.