Irresistible force

Alexander Alekhine was one of the immortals of the chessboard — world champion from 1927, when in an epic war of attrition at Buenos Aires 1927 he had wrested the championship from Capablanca, until 1935, and again from 1937 until his death in 1946. His victories at the tournaments of San Remo 1930 and Bled 1931 number among the most devastating performances in the history of the game. The historic table and pieces, with which the two titans fought their battles, is a prime treasure of the Buenos Aires chess club.

Alekhine’s forte was the whirlwind attack. His onslaughts were not always fully correct, but the force of his offensives was so intense that opponents tended to buckle under the psychological pressure and burden of analytical calculation, which Alekhine’s fierce will imposed. The following notes are based on those in a new book, Alekhine: Move by Move by Steve Giddins (Everyman Chess).

Rubinstein-Alekhine: Dresden 1926, London System

1 d4 Nf6 2 Nf3 e6 3 Bf4 b6 4 h3 Bb7 5 Nbd2 Bd6 A typically creative Alekhine idea. Taking advantage of the specifics of the position, in this case the inclusion of an early h2-h3, he produces an unusual response. 6 Bxd6 cxd6 7 e3 0-0 8 Be2 d5 9 0-0 Nc6 10 c3 Ne4 11 Nxe4 dxe4 12 Nd2 f5 It soon becomes clear that Rubinstein is in too passive a state of mind, and he rapidly drifts into trouble. 13 f4 g5 14 Nc4 d5 15 Ne5 Nxe5 16 dxe5 Kh8 17 a4 Rubinstein at last starts some active play on the queenside, but Alekhine condemns this move and says White had to seize his last chance to play 17 g3 Rg8 18 Kh2. After the text, that will no longer be possible.