Alberto López Arce

During the tournament Alekhine and Capablanca had an "extremely sharp rivalry" to log the best individual performance. Alekhine had expected to meet Capablanca in a late 12th-round game; instead, the Cuban team assigned López Arce to play the champion, in order to protect Capablanca's individual performance statistic. Alekhine was "furious", and proceeded to defeat López Arce in a 25-move miniature which opened with the Ruy Lopez. According to Garry Kasparov,

The game began as a Ruy Lopez, developing into the four knights (Tarrasch) variation (ECO C77) during the opening moves. The players castled kingside on the seventh move. Alekhine advanced his knights early, exchanging one for a black bishop with an early check. During subsequent moves Alekhine captured four pawns. López Arce captured just two pawns, failing to recapture and equalize for the lost material. The players traded queens on the 23rd move. White's 25th move, Nc6, was the final move played, forking a black knight at b4 and a black pawn at d4. Alekhine had won a material advantage as well as an advantageous position. He was up two pawns, including a passed pawn at b5, and had a bishop for López Arce's knight, retaining the bishop pair. Rather than continue, López Arce resigned.

Alberto López Arce (23 April 1907 — unknown) was a Cuban chess player. He is noted for his involvement in an incident at the 8th Chess Olympiad, a team tournament where then-current champion Alexander Alekhine had expected to play the previous champion José Raúl Capablanca, also of Cuba. The Cuban team instead assigned López Arce to play Alekhine in a game which Alekhine quickly won.