Worlds Championship Matches,1921 and 1927.

xiv+81 pages with photographs, diagrams and tables. Octavo (8 1/2" x 5 1/2") bound in original publisher's pictorial wrappers. Introduction by Irving Chernev. First published in 1921 and 1928.

On January 23, 1920 Lasker and Capablanca agreed to a title match to begin no earlier than 1921. In June, Lasker suddenly resigned, declaring Capablanca the new world champion. The Cuban didn't want to become champion that way, so he managed to convince Lasker to play a match. Lasker agreed, although he insisted on being regarded as the challenger. The match was held in Havana from March 15 to April 27, 1921. The winner would be the first to 8 points, draws not counting. If neither player reached that goal, the one with more points after 24 games would win. There would be five play days a week, with one session of play lasting 4 hours. The time limit was 15 moves per hour, and the referee was Alberto Ponce. Lasker would receive $11,000 and Capablanca $9,000 of the $20,000 purse. An additional $5,000 was donated after five games had been completed, with $3,000 going to the winner and $2,000 to the loser. After his win in game 14, with the score now +4 -0 =10 in the Cuban's favor, Lasker gave up and Capablanca was declared the new world champion.

The match began in Buenos Aires on September 9, 1927. Conditions followed the London Rules: games to be played at 2½ hours per 40 moves, with the match awarded to the first to win 6 games, draws not counting. Capablanca would receive $2,000 of the purse as a fee, with the remainder split $4,800 to the victor and $3,200 to the loser. The Argentine Chess Club provided the venue, except for two games played in the Jockey Club. Dr. Carlos A. Querencio served as referee, and Daniel Deletang was Alekhine's second.

Alekhine won the first game on the black side of a French Defence. Every subsequent game would be contested with a Queen's pawn opening. After ten games Capablanca led 2-1, but he dropped two in a row and a long series of draws followed. According to Garry Kasparov, Capablanca let slip "an enormous positional advantage" in Game 17. After Alekhine notched his fourth win in Game 21, Capablanca opined that "there can hardly be a stronger player in the world than the Slav master." Capablanca did well to save the draw in Game 22, and Kasparov maintains that the Cuban now played the match with increasing power until he missed the win in the "completely won" 27th game. After winning Game 29, Capablanca trailed the match by just a point, and optimistically remarked that "the match takes on fresh interest..." Kasparov believes that Capablanca missed a win in Game 31, and then, later in the game, settled for a draw when he was a pawn up, and could well have played on. A win would have tied the match. Alekhine characterized his win in Game 32 as "well-contested" and "full of ideas" from both players. Now Alekhine needed just one more win to take the title.

With adjournments, the 34th and final game took four days to complete, ending on November 29 when Capablanca did not show up to resume play. Instead, he sent a congratulatory resignation note. Nor did the ex-champion show up for the closing ceremony on December 8. Alexander Alekhine, the fourth world chess champion, did attend. He thanked the Argentine Chess Club for its work and declared he was against any changes to the world title match rules, the London Rules.

Condition: Previous owner's name to title, light edge wear else very good.