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Classic game replay

Jose Raul Capablanca vs Herman Steiner, 1933

This replay preserves the complete 49-ply score of Capablanca playing White across 25 numbered moves. The board can be advanced one ply at a time; the notes stick to observable board changes rather than guessing at the players’ intentions.

On this page
  1. Practice positions
  2. Replay with move-by-move board facts
  3. PGN
  4. Sources and checking
  5. Continue with another game
White
Jose Raul Capablanca
Black
Herman Steiner
Event
Los Angeles
Year
1933
Result
1-0
Opening
C49 Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, Symmetrical Variation

Opening reference: Four Knights Game: Spanish Variation, Symmetrical Variation (C49).

In this game, 20 half-moves are labelled opening, 29 middlegame and 0 endgame. The score contains 16 captures and 8 checks or mates; before a recorded move, the position offered a median of 29 legal choices. The final recorded move is 25.Qb4#, which is checkmate; the stored result is 1-0.

Practice positions

The daily trainer uses a short set of positions from this complete score. Each link goes to the exact half-move rather than only the numbered move.

  1. 8.bxc3 — Recapture on c38.bxc3 was a leading choice in the fixed engine check.
  2. 15.Qh5+ — A forcing check15.Qh5+ was a leading choice in the fixed engine check.
  3. 20.Rxf5+ — Recapture on f520.Rxf5+ was a leading choice in the fixed engine check.
  4. 25.Qb4# — Checkmate25.Qb4# was a leading choice in the fixed engine check.

Replay with move-by-move board facts

The board, fact panel and transcript use the same legal score. “Fixed engine check” means Stockfish 17.1, one thread, a fixed 25,000-node search and 3 candidate lines. It compares moves under one reproducible setting; it does not claim to reconstruct a player’s thoughts.

♜♞♝♛♚♝♞♜♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♜♞♝♛♚♝♞♜
Jose Raul Capablanca vs Herman Steiner, 1933

Start position

Use Previous and Next on the board, or select a move in the transcript. The board fact and fixed engine check remain visible until you choose another move.

Opening · 1.e4 to 10...Be6

  1. 1.e4 Claim central space

    Board fact: White moves the pawn from e2 to e4; from there it controls d5 and f5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · e4 e5 Nf3 Nc6.

  2. 1...e5 Claim central space

    Board fact: Black moves the pawn from e7 to e5; from there it controls d4 and f4.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · e5 Nf3 Nc6 d4.

  3. 2.Nf3 Develop the knight

    Board fact: White develops the knight from g1 to f3; from f3 it attacks Black's pawn on e5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Nf3 Nc6 d4 exd4.

  4. 2...Nc6 Develop the knight

    Board fact: Black develops the knight from b8 to c6; from there it controls d4 and e5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Nc6 d4 exd4 Nxd4.

  5. 3.Nc3 Develop the knight

    Board fact: White develops the knight from b1 to c3; from there it controls d5 and e4.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Nc3 Nf6.

  6. 3...Nf6 Develop the knight

    Board fact: Black develops the knight from g8 to f6; from f6 it attacks White's pawn on e4.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Nf6 d4 exd4 Nxd4.

  7. 4.Bb5 Develop the bishop

    Board fact: White develops the bishop from f1 to b5; from b5 it attacks Black's knight on c6.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Bb5 Bd6 Bxc6 dxc6.

  8. 4...Bb4 Develop the bishop

    Board fact: Black develops the bishop from f8 to b4; from b4 it attacks White's knight on c3.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Bb4 O-O O-O Bxc6.

  9. 5.O-O Kingside castling

    Board fact: White castles kingside, moving the king to g1 and the rook to f1. The move changes king safety and develops the rook in one turn.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · O-O O-O Bxc6 dxc6.

  10. 5...O-O Kingside castling

    Board fact: Black castles kingside, moving the king to g8 and the rook to f8. The move changes king safety and develops the rook in one turn.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · O-O Bxc6 dxc6 Nxe5.

  11. 6.d3 Advance the d-pawn

    Board fact: White moves the pawn from d2 to d3; from there it controls e4 and c4.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · d3.

  12. 6...d6 Advance the d-pawn

    Board fact: Black moves the pawn from d7 to d6; from there it controls e5 and c5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · d6 Ne2 Ne7 c3.

  13. 7.Bg5 Develop the bishop

    Board fact: White develops the bishop from c1 to g5; from g5 it attacks Black's knight on f6.

    Fixed engine check: Near the leading choice · Bg5.

  14. 7...Bxc3 Exchange on c3

    Board fact: Black's bishop takes the knight on c3; from c3 it attacks White's pawn on b2; black is ahead by 3 conventional material points after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Bxc3 bxc3 h6 Bh4.

  15. 8.bxc3 Recapture on c3

    Board fact: White's pawn recaptures the bishop on c3; the move changes the central pawn contact; White accepts doubled pawns on the c-file; material is level after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · bxc3.

  16. 8...Ne7 Reroute the knight

    Board fact: Black moves the knight from c6 to e7; from there it controls d5, c6 and f5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Ne7 Nh4.

  17. 9.Nh4 Reroute the knight

    Board fact: White moves the knight from f3 to h4; from there it controls f3 and f5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Nh4 Ng6.

  18. 9...c6 Create pressure on b5

    Board fact: Black moves the pawn from c7 to c6; from c6 it attacks White's bishop on b5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · c6 Ba4.

  19. 10.Bc4 Create pressure on f7

    Board fact: White moves the bishop from b5 to c4; from c4 it attacks Black's pawn on f7.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Bc4 d5 Bb3 Qd6.

  20. 10...Be6 Develop the bishop

    Board fact: Black develops the bishop from c8 to e6; from e6 it attacks White's bishop on c4.

    Fixed engine check: Recorded move; Ne8 ranked higher · Be6 Bxf6.

Middlegame · 11.Bxf6 to 25.Qb4#

  1. 11.Bxf6 Exchange on f6

    Board fact: White's bishop takes the knight on f6; from f6 it attacks Black's knight on e7 and Black's pawn on e5; white is ahead by 3 conventional material points after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Bxf6 gxf6 Bxe6 fxe6.

  2. 11...gxf6 Recapture on f6

    Board fact: Black's pawn recaptures the bishop on f6; the move changes the central pawn contact; Black accepts doubled pawns on the f-file; from f6 it reinforces the pawn on e5; material is level after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Near the leading choice · gxf6 Bxe6.

  3. 12.Bxe6 Exchange on e6

    Board fact: White's bishop takes the bishop on e6; from e6 it attacks Black's pawn on f7; white is ahead by 3 conventional material points after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Bxe6 fxe6 Qg4+ Kf7.

  4. 12...fxe6 Recapture on e6

    Board fact: Black's pawn recaptures the bishop on e6; the move changes the central pawn contact; Black accepts doubled pawns on the e-file; material is level after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · fxe6 Qg4+.

  5. 13.Qg4+ A forcing check

    Board fact: White moves the queen from d1 to g4; the move checks Black's king; from g4 it attacks Black's pawn on e6.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Qg4+ Kh8 Qxe6 Qc7.

  6. 13...Kf7 Answering the check

    Board fact: Black answers the check by moving the king from g8 to f7; from there it controls e6 and f6.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Kf7 f4 Qc7 fxe5.

  7. 14.f4 Change the pawn structure

    Board fact: White moves the pawn from f2 to f4; the move changes the central pawn contact; from f4 it attacks Black's pawn on e5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · f4 Ng6 f5 exf5.

  8. 14...Rg8 Rook on the semi-open g-file

    Board fact: Black moves the rook from f8 to g8; the rook now works on a semi-open g-file; from g8 it attacks White's queen on g4.

    Fixed engine check: Recorded move; Ng6 ranked higher · Rg8 Qh5+ Kg7 fxe5.

  9. 15.Qh5+ A forcing check

    Board fact: White moves the queen from g4 to h5; the move checks Black's king; from h5 it attacks Black's pawn on e5 and Black's pawn on h7.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Qh5+ Kg7 fxe5 dxe5.

  10. 15...Kg7 Answering the check

    Board fact: Black answers the check by moving the king from f7 to g7; from there it controls f6.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Kg7 fxe5 dxe5 Rxf6.

  11. 16.fxe5 Exchange on e5

    Board fact: White's pawn takes the pawn on e5; the move changes the central pawn contact; White accepts doubled pawns on the e-file; from e5 it attacks Black's pawn on d6 and Black's pawn on f6; white is ahead by 1 conventional material point after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · fxe5 dxe5 Rxf6 Kxf6.

  12. 16...dxe5 Recapture on e5

    Board fact: Black's pawn recaptures the pawn on e5; the move changes the central pawn contact; Black accepts doubled pawns on the e-file; material is level after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · dxe5.

  13. 17.Rxf6 Exchange on f6

    Board fact: White's rook takes the pawn on f6; the rook now occupies the open f-file; from f6 it attacks Black's pawn on e6; white is ahead by 1 conventional material point after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Rxf6 Kxf6 Rf1+ Nf5.

  14. 17...Kxf6 Recapture on f6

    Board fact: Black's king recaptures the rook on f6; from f6 it reinforces the knight on e7; black is ahead by 4 conventional material points after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Kxf6 Rf1+ Nf5 exf5.

  15. 18.Rf1+ A forcing check

    Board fact: White moves the rook from a1 to f1; the move checks Black's king; the rook now occupies the open f-file; from there it controls f3, f4 and f5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Rf1+ Nf5 exf5 Ke7.

  16. 18...Nf5 Answering the check

    Board fact: Black answers the check by moving the knight from e7 to f5; from f5 it attacks White's knight on h4.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Nf5 exf5.

  17. 19.Nxf5 Exchange on f5

    Board fact: White's knight takes the knight on f5; black is ahead by 1 conventional material point after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Near the leading choice · Nxf5.

  18. 19...exf5 Recapture on f5

    Board fact: Black's pawn recaptures the knight on f5; the move changes the central pawn contact; from f5 it attacks White's pawn on e4; black is ahead by 4 conventional material points after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · exf5 Rxf5+ Ke7 Qf7+.

  19. 20.Rxf5+ Recapture on f5

    Board fact: White's rook recaptures the pawn on f5; the move checks Black's king; the rook now occupies the open f-file; from f5 it attacks Black's pawn on e5; black is ahead by 3 conventional material points after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Rxf5+ Ke7 Qf7+ Kd6.

  20. 20...Ke7 Answering the check

    Board fact: Black answers the check by moving the king from f6 to e7; from there it controls d6, e6 and f6.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Ke7 Qf7+ Kd6 Rf6+.

  21. 21.Qf7+ A forcing check

    Board fact: White moves the queen from h5 to f7; the move checks Black's king; from f7 it attacks Black's rook on g8 and Black's pawn on h7.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Qf7+ Kd6 Rf6+ Qxf6.

  22. 21...Kd6 Answering the check

    Board fact: Black answers the check by moving the king from e7 to d6; from there it controls d5, e5 and c5.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Kd6 Rf6+ Qxf6 Qxf6+.

  23. 22.Rf6+ A forcing check

    Board fact: White moves the rook from f5 to f6; the move checks Black's king; the rook now occupies the open f-file; from there it controls d6, e6 and f3.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Rf6+ Qxf6 Qxf6+ Kc7.

  24. 22...Kc5 Answering the check

    Board fact: Black answers the check by moving the king from d6 to c5; from there it controls d4, d5 and c4.

    Fixed engine check: Playable; Qxf6 ranked higher · Kc5 Qxb7 Qb6 Rxc6+.

  25. 23.Qxb7 Exchange on b7

    Board fact: White's queen takes the pawn on b7; from b7 it attacks Black's rook on a8 and Black's pawn on a7; black is ahead by 2 conventional material points after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Qxb7 Qb6 Rxc6+ Kb5+.

  26. 23...Qb6 Create pressure on b7

    Board fact: Black moves the queen from d8 to b6; from b6 it attacks White's queen on b7.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Qb6 Rxc6+ Kb5+ Rxb6+.

  27. 24.Rxc6+ Capture with check on c6

    Board fact: White's rook takes the pawn on c6; the move checks Black's king; from c6 it attacks Black's queen on b6; black is ahead by 1 conventional material point after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Rxc6+ Kb5+ Rxb6+ axb6.

  28. 24...Qxc6 Recapture on c6

    Board fact: Black's queen recaptures the rook on c6; from c6 it attacks White's queen on b7 and White's pawn on e4; black is ahead by 6 conventional material points after the capture.

    Fixed engine check: Recorded move; Kb5+ ranked higher · Qxc6 Qb4#.

  29. 25.Qb4# Checkmate

    Board fact: White's queen moves from b7 to b4 and delivers checkmate; Black's king has no legal way to answer the attack.

    Fixed engine check: Ranked first · Qb4#.

PGN

[Event "Los Angeles"] [Site "?"] [Date "1933.??.??"] [White "Capablanca, Jose Raul"] [Black "Steiner, Herman"] [Result "1-0"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Bb4 5. O-O O-O 6. d3 d6 7. Bg5 Bxc3 8. bxc3 Ne7 9. Nh4 c6 10. Bc4 Be6 11. Bxf6 gxf6 12. Bxe6 fxe6 13. Qg4+ Kf7 14. f4 Rg8 15. Qh5+ Kg7 16. fxe5 dxe5 17. Rxf6 Kxf6 18. Rf1+ Nf5 19. Nxf5 exf5 20. Rxf5+ Ke7 21. Qf7+ Kd6 22. Rf6+ Kc5 23. Qxb7 Qb6 24. Rxc6+ Qxc6 25. Qb4# 1-0

Sources and checking

Score source: Chess Database, version 1 by Ana Schaigorodsky (2016), licensed under CC BY 4.0. LibreChess selected the exact score identified by sha256:24b4223b973eb3e71b9dd976d7dca031a19dd93f37b65c8baa8fc80afee27ffd and pins it in the selection manifest.
Exact Figshare tags:
White="Capablanca, Jose Raul"; Black="Steiner, Herman"; Event="Los Angeles"; Date="1933.??.??"; Result="1-0". LibreChess parsed the main line with chess.js and stores normalised SAN. Source comments, side variations and termination detail were not retained.

LibreChess checks every SAN move with chess.js and compares the result and move sequence with a stored reference. The engine comparison was calculated offline from the fixed settings above; it is not a source for historical claims. No termination is inferred where the imported score does not preserve one.

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