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).
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