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Chess 05 Feb 2000, Sat The Toronto Star (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) Newspapers.com
Chess
LAWRENCE DAY
Despite having been dead for a half-century, Alexander Alekhine continues to stir up controversy. The day after Christmas a hurricane smashed through Paris. It destroyed, among other things, his gravesite.
Under French law the relatives or descendents are supposed to pay for the repairs, but in Alekhine's case this becomes an intensely complex issue: he had had many wives, and sometimes simultaneously. Aside from bigamy, chainsmoking, alcoholism and antisemitism, Alekhine was also a poseur. He introduced himself as Dr. Alekhine although in actuality he studied law at, but never graduated from the Sorbonne.
Despite his evident character flaws Alekhine (pronounced al-Yek-heen) ranked third (behind Bobby Fischer and Gary Kasparov) on the internet poll asking who were the greatest 20th century players. Even obvious villains can still play great chess.
Alekhine was born in Russia in 1892 to a rich family; his father was in the duma, a rough equivalent to our parliament. During his early years things were sterling. A prodigy, his chess career blossomed. At Mannheim, Germany, 1914 he was leading the tournament when World War I broke out. He was interned, then escaped or bribed his way out.
Back in Russia he joined a sort of 'red cross' group, but got wounded and hospitalized. He was released just in time for the revolution and, as an aristocrat, he was jailed. Lenin, a chess fan, sprang him and Alekhine dutifully joined the Communist Party in 1921 but then defected at his first opportunity.
He moved to Paris, and in 1927 in Brazil he won the World Championship from Cuba's Jose Capablanca. As champion he chose his own challengers, and was still the title-holder in 1946 when he died mysteriously in Lisbon.
He had collaborated with the Nazis during the war, producing propaganda, and afterwards there were assassins out for revenge. The Portuguese coroner who signed off on his (choked on-fishbone/heart-attack) death certificate later admitted that Alekhine was murdered. [Note] Like an Agatha Christie who-done-it victim, Alekhine had a long list of enemies.
Considering his poor record for veracity some think Alekhine made up the following amazing game:
White: Alekhine
Black: 'Georgiev'
Moscow, 1915 French Defence
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Bb4 5. e5 h6 6. exf6
Modern theory has 6. Bd2 as better.
6..hxg5 7. fxg7 Rg8 8. h4! gxh4 9. Qg4 Be7? 10. g3! c5 11. gxh4cxd4 12. h5! dxc3 13. h6 cxb2 14. Rb1 Qa5+ 15. Ke2 Qxa2 16. h7 Qxbl 17. hxg8=Q+ Kd7 18. Qxf7 Qxc2 + 19. Kf3 Nc6! 20. Qgxe6+ Kc7 21. Qf4+ Kb6 22.Qee3+ Bc5 23. g8 =Q b1+Q
Yup, five Queens on the board, very strange!
24. Rh6! Qxf1 25. Qb4+ Qb5 26. Qd8+ Ka6 27. Qea4+ Qca4 28. Qaxa4+ Qxa429. Qxa4 mate.
CHESS PROBLEM #1295
Black: 10 pieces
White: 8 pieces
FEN 1K2nR2/1p3N2/1Q2B2B/8/2p1k1p1/R1n1N1p1/4p3/b3r3 w - - 0 1
White to play and mate in two moves.
Composed by V. Rudenko, 1971
Solution to 1294: 1. Bc7! Bh2! 2. Bb8! Bxb8 3. c7 Bxc7 4. Nxc7X.
Copyright: 2000 Toronto Star Syndicate.
