Alberto López Arce competed in the 8th Chess Olympiad as part of the tournament's Cuban team.
Held in Buenos Aires, the Olympiad was a round-robin tournament, hosting teams of five players representing each of the participating countries.
Throughout the qualifications and final round he performed poorly, winning just one game (against Povilas Vaitonis), drawing three, and losing eleven.
'On the day of the match,' an eye-witness recalled, 'Alekhine arrived in the tournament hall half an hour early and walked resolutely around the stage, working himself up for the game with Capablanca.
[3] The game began as a Ruy Lopez, developing into the four knights (Tarrasch) variation (ECO C77) during the opening moves.