The only undefeated Chaturanga World Champion. Undefeated

The future great chess player was born in 1892 in Moscow into a very wealthy family. His father, Alexander Alekhin, was at one time the provincial marshal of the nobility in Voronezh. Alekhin Sr. adhered to liberal views and even sat in the last State Duma in the history of the Russian Empire. Mother Anisya Prokhorova was "from the peasants", and not from the nobility. But from the rich. Her father Ivan Prokhorov was one of those same Prokhorovs who kept the oldest textile factory in Moscow, the Trekhgornaya Textile Manufactory.

Alexander Alekhin was the youngest child in the family. He had a sister and brother Alexei, who was also a chess player, but did not achieve the glory of his younger brother. Although it was with his brother that Alexander played the first chess games, his mother taught him to play this game when he was about seven years old. Alekhine himself believed that he began to study chess more or less seriously only at the age of 12.

Chess fascinated him so much that his parents were even forced to take extreme measures and for some time simply forbid him to sit down at the board. In addition, he suffered from meningitis - a very serious illness, which at that time claimed many lives.

Alekhin studied at one of the most prestigious Moscow gymnasiums - Polivanovskaya, which was famous for its strong teaching staff. Among the students and graduates of this gymnasium at different times were such celebrities as Valery Bryusov, Andrei Bely, Georgy Lvov, Sergei Efron, Maximilian Voloshin. The sons of Leo Tolstoy also studied there.

Collage © L!FE. Photo: © wikipedia.org © Pixabay

According to the recollections of classmates, Alekhine was a withdrawn and aloof youth, he did not communicate with anyone, and in almost all school lessons he preferred to think over and analyze chess games, since from the age of ten he was very actively fond of playing chess by correspondence, which was then a fashionable hobby.

He was not interested in either the revolutionary hobbies of his classmates, or the insoluble questions of life, or the work of Gorky, who was insanely fashionable at that time, or the theater. Chess was his only passion. Later, he developed another hobby. It was his Siamese cat named Chess, whom Alekhine (who has already become the world's leading chess player) considered his talisman and always took to matches, planting next to him.

The most surprising thing is that at the same time Alekhine studied exemplarily and was an excellent student. His memory was truly phenomenal. Later, when he became already famous, even the most outstanding chess players of the world were surprised that Alekhine remembered all his played games, even if it was several years ago. At the same time, he was very distracted and forgetful in everyday life.

Already at the age of 16, young Alekhine won the tournament of the Moscow chess club among amateurs and went to his first international tournament in Germany. He failed to win, although he performed well. But he managed to meet (not within the framework of the tournament) with the prominent German grandmaster Kurt von Bardeleben. He was not a chess superstar, but he was considered a very strong master. 16-year-old Alekhin literally declassed him, winning four fights out of five and drawing one.

Photo: © RIA Novosti / Mikhail Filimonov

The following year, he participated in the Moscow Championship, but took only fifth place. But he won the All-Russian Amateur Tournament. Then he took part in several more international tournaments, taking places in the middle of the table. However, his potential was obvious: Alekhine fought on equal terms with famous masters, while still a high school student.

A few months before the outbreak of the First World War, a grandiose chess tournament was held in St. Petersburg with a very strong line-up of participants. The main stars of the competition were world champion Emanuel Lasker, rising world chess superstar Jose Raul Capablanca, one of the strongest German chess players Siegbert Tarrasch and a very strong American Frank Marshall. In total, 10 people participated in the tournament. The competition was held in two rounds. In the first round, all participants played with each other, after which the six strongest on points went to the second round and fought for the title of winner. Alekhine took the final third place, losing in the table only to the recognized world stars Lasker and Capablanca.

First trouble

Alekhine and Jose Raul Capablanca at the St. Petersburg chess tournament in 1914. Collage © L!FE. Photo: © wikipedia.org

A week after the end of the tournament, Alekhine graduated from the Imperial School of Law. In July 1914 he left for Germany for a major international tournament. In the midst of the competition (Alekhine just confidently took first place) the First World War began. All Russian chess players who were at the tournament were immediately interned as subjects of a hostile state. They spent several days in prison, after which they were released.

However, on the way to Baden-Baden, a group of Russian chess players were again arrested and sent to prison for several days. Finally, the Germans decided to subject the prisoners to an examination by a medical commission. Those whom she considered unfit for military service, they agreed to let go. The rest would have to remain in captivity until the end of the war.

Alekhine was declared unfit for service for health reasons and released. I had to get home through neutral countries, and as a result, the journey took several months. He returned to Russia only in November.

The outbreak of the war made it impossible to hold major international tournaments, and Alekhine whiled away his time in Russia, playing with local grandmasters, as well as giving blindfold sessions on several boards at once. Often such sessions were charitable, i.e. profits from them went to socially useful needs.

In the summer of 1916, he went to the front as part of the flying detachment of the Red Cross. Some sources report that the chess player was shell-shocked several times and received awards for rescuing the wounded, but not all sources confirm his awards.

The February Revolution deprived him of practice for several years. In addition, his father died, and Alekhine himself turned into a class alien "bourgeois". The most little-studied period of Alekhine's life began. Information about him is extremely contradictory, and no one really knows what he did during the Civil War. It is only known that he tried to leave for Odessa, where German troops were stationed at that time. There, he either tried to earn money in a chess tournament, or he wanted to emigrate through the local port. However, this was not possible. Soon the city was occupied by the Bolsheviks, and Alekhine found himself in the cellars of the Odessa Cheka. He was saved by the intercession of one of the big Bolsheviks. Researchers give different names, but most likely, one of the leaders of the local Bolsheviks, either Rakovsky or Manuilsky, intervened in the matter.

Shortly after his release, he moved to the quieter Moscow, which at least did not change hands every few months. Information about his stay in the Soviet capital is also contradictory. According to one version, he worked as a criminal investigation investigator, according to another, he worked as a translator through the Comintern. One way or another, in 1920 he was finally able to return to chess and confidently won the first All-Russian Chess Olympiad in 1920.

In Moscow, he did not stay long. Having met a Swiss Social Democrat who came to Moscow through the Comintern, he married her and obtained permission to leave the country with his wife.

At the peak of my career

Alekhine gives a simultaneous game session in Berlin, 1930. Collage © L!FE. Photo: © wikipedia.org

Having moved to Europe, Alekhine began to make up for lost time during the years of wars and revolutions. He was directly involved in almost all major tournaments held on the continent, and won more than half of them. By the mid-20s, it became clear that he was at least one of the five strongest chess players in the world.

Alekhine himself at that time dreamed of a match for the chess crown with Capablanca, who at that time dominated all world chess players and was considered the absolute strongest player. However, this was not so easy to do. Having become world champion, Capablanca put forward very strict requirements for applicants who wanted to challenge him. They had to compete according to its conditions (up to six wins, no restrictions on the number of matches) and, most importantly, provide the prize fund to the winner at their own expense.

This Capablanca fund was estimated at 10 thousand dollars, of which two thousand were received by the winner, and the rest was divided between the participants in a ratio of 60 to 40 in favor of the champion. Capablanca's demands were difficult to fulfill, 10 thousand at that time was a very large amount (approximately corresponding to 140 thousand modern dollars) and Alekhine did not have it.

Therefore, he had to wait six years for the championship match. As a result, the Argentine leadership helped with the organization on the condition that the fight would take place in Buenos Aires. The match began in September 1927 and ended only at the end of November, dragging on for 34 games (which was an absolute record at that time). Before the start of the fight, absolutely everyone was sure of Capablanca's victory. He was at the peak of his form, moreover, he had five victories over Alekhine, who had not a single one over his opponent. Some experts were even sure that only a few draw games would become the ultimate dream for Alekhine, and he would not be able to win a single victory over the world champion.

From left to right: Alekhine, referee Carlos Augusto Querencio, Capablanca. Photo: © wikipedia.org

All the more unexpected was the confident victory of Alekhine. He won six games, while Capablanca took only three. He didn't even show up to finish the last game, instead sending congratulations on the victory to the new champion. The key factor was the preparation of Alekhine, who spent a lot of time studying the opponent's style of play. Whereas Capablanca was so sure of his victory that he did not bother himself with exhausting preparations.

Alekhine became the first Russian world chess champion and the fourth in history after Steinitz, Lasker and Capablanca. The loser immediately requested a rematch, but now Alekhine insisted on the old rules of the championship fight, and Capablanca wanted to change them. Due to the fact that the rivals did not come to an agreement, the revenge between them did not take place.

The next seven years were the peak of Alekhine's career. He confidently won the tournaments in which he participated, traveled all over the world with chess tours, arranged sessions of simultaneous blind play, and wrote several books. He also defended the championship title twice, defeating challenger Efim Bogolyubov both times.

recession

Participants of the international chess tournament in St. Petersburg - José Capablanca (second from right, seated), Emanuel Lasker (third from left, seated), Alexander Alekhin (third from left, standing). Collage © L!FE. Photo: © RIA Novosti

In 1934, Alekhine married American-British chess player (and a very wealthy widow) Grace Vishar. From that moment on, his luck seemed to change. His game completely went wrong, he began to make childish mistakes. There has been a sharp decline in his career. If at the peak of his form he won most tournaments, regardless of the composition of their participants, now he was increasingly closer to the middle of the table.

Most researchers attribute the sharp decline in Alekhine's game to two factors. First, with the loss of motivation. After the victory over the seemingly invincible Capablanca, it was difficult to find new incentives, and Alekhine relaxed too much. Secondly, he began to get involved in alcohol and this was reflected in his results.

Euwe (left) and Salomon Flohr (center) analyze the game. Match Alekhine - Euwe, 1935. Photo: © wikipedia.org

In 1935, a match for the title of world champion took place between Alekhine and the Dutchman Max Euwe. Before the match, the Russian chess player was considered the absolute favorite and was confidently leading in the first games. But in recent matches, Euwe increasingly began to take over and eventually won by a small margin - 15.5 to 14.5.

Alekhin gathered his strength and brought himself into shape. In 1937, a rematch took place, which Alekhine confidently won (15.5 to 9.5), although the Dutchman was now the favorite. Alekhine regained the title of world champion. However, events soon unfolded in Europe that actually put an end to the career of a brilliant chess player.

Life under occupation

Collage © L!FE. Photo: © RIA Novosti / Vladimir Grebnev © Pixabay

In September 1939, World War II began. Alekhin by this time was a citizen of France and enlisted in the army. According to some sources, he served as a translator, according to others - in the sanitary unit. One way or another, he was not fit for military service in any case.

After the rapid defeat of France, he left for the south of the country, which was not occupied by the Germans. He tried to arrange a championship match with Capablanca, but the war caused financial difficulties, and a few months later the Cuban chess player died.

Alekhine was not enthusiastic about the new regime and tried to emigrate to Portugal. However, the Vichy regime did not give him permission to emigrate. In the end, it was possible to agree that he would be released from the country in exchange for several ideologically verified articles. Soon, the collaborationist newspaper Pariser Zeitung published several articles about "Jewish and Aryan chess" and their differences, the author of which was Alekhine. After that, he was released from the country.

However, his wife remained in France, fearing for her estate. Left without a livelihood, Alekhine during the war was forced to participate in chess tournaments on the territory of Nazi Germany and the occupied European countries. In 1943, having left for a tournament in neutral Spain, he refused to return and settled there for several years. To make ends meet, he gave chess lessons and also participated in local tournaments.

After the end of the war, chess life began to gradually revive. Alekhine was still the reigning world champion. In the winter of 1945, he was invited to the first major post-war tournament in London. However, he never took part in it because of the intrigues of his colleagues.

His old rival Euwe, having enlisted the support of his American colleagues (and also promising contenders for the title), staged a noisy campaign against Alekhine. The chess players gathered around Euwe threatened to boycott him if he participated in the tournament. Moreover, Euwe organized a whole commission, which began to demand that Alekhine be stripped of his champion title on the basis of his collaborationist activities.

The main accusations against Alekhine were his participation in several German chess tournaments, as well as articles about "Jewish and Aryan chess." Alekhine himself sent letters to the organizers of the tournaments, as well as to several chess federations, explaining his position. He claimed that he was forced to play in tournaments in order to at least somehow live under the conditions of occupation. And articles about "Aryan chess" were a condition for permission to emigrate. At the same time, he argued that there was nothing anti-Semitic in the original article and that it had been heavily edited by the editors.

It was really difficult to suspect Alekhine of sympathies for the Nazis. Back in 1939, after the German invasion of Poland, Alekhine publicly called for a boycott of the German chess team (at that time it participated in the Chess Olympiad), and then made repeated attempts to leave the occupied territories (and eventually settled in neutral Spain).

Max Euwe. Photo: ©AP Photo

It is worth noting that Euwe himself was also, as they say, not without sin. He did not play in Nazi Germany, but he participated in a chess tournament in Hungary, which was an ally of the Nazis. In addition, Euwe headed the chess federation in Nazi-occupied Holland and collaborated de facto with the collaborationist government. In addition, the situation was in his favor. In the event that Alekhine was stripped of his title, it either automatically passed to Euwe, or played out in a championship match involving Euwe and another contender.

However, not all leading chess players supported Euwe, and in the end, the issue of Alekhine's boycott and his disqualification was decided to be submitted to FIDE for consideration. Unexpectedly, help came from the USSR. The influential Soviet chess federation wanted to nominate Mikhail Botvinnik as a contender for the title of strong grandmaster. In general, the USSR maintained an ambivalent attitude towards Alekhine. On the one hand, it was officially recognized that he was a living chess genius and one of the greatest masters of the game. On the other hand, it was invariably emphasized that class and politically, he was completely alien to Soviet society.

While FIDE was considering the issue of disqualification, the chess player died. The health of the already elderly Alekhine was undermined by illness (three years before his death, he suffered a severe form of scarlet fever), alcohol and life in the occupation. On March 24, 1946, he died in a Portuguese hotel, sitting in an armchair at a chessboard. According to some reports, he choked and suffocated while eating, according to others, his heart stopped.

Alexander Alekhine became the only world champion in history who died in this rank and thus remained undefeated (another undefeated world champion, Bobby Fischer, was stripped of his title after refusing to match with a challenger and actually ended his career on this, but nevertheless he was formally defeated was not).

Tombstone on the grave of Alekhine at the Montparnasse cemetery in Paris. The work of his friend chess player Abram Barats. The tombstone contains the erroneous date of birth of November 1. Photo: © wikipedia.org

Interestingly, soon after Alekhine's death, the attitude towards him in the USSR changed dramatically to an extremely positive one. Although it was still recognized that he did not accept the revolution, nevertheless he began to be considered one of his own. Since 1956, tournaments in memory of the outstanding chess player have been regularly held in the USSR. In honor of Alekhine, an asteroid discovered by Soviet astronomers was named, books were written about him, and in some way he became a cult figure in the Soviet Union.

Alexander Alekhine is still the leader in the number of overall victories among all world chess champions in history. In 1240 official fights, he won 719 times. Thus, he achieved victory in 58% of fights. For comparison, Capablanca, Lasker and Fischer won 55% of the duels (while having half as many meetings), Euwe and Botvinnik won 47%, Kasparov - 42%, Karpov - 37%, and Spassky won only 32% at all. % fights. Therefore, it is not surprising that Alekhine is still considered one of the greatest chess players in history.

In the 1920s–1930s Euwe was one of the strongest grandmasters in the world, won many tournaments, and in 1935 threw down the gauntlet to Alekhine. The great Russian chess player apparently underestimated his opponent and lost to him in a bitter struggle - 14.5:15.5. But two years later, a rematch took place, and Alekhine regained the crown.

After that, Euwe performed very successfully for more than 10 years, however, after the death of Alekhine, in 1948, in the match-tournament of five for the title of world champion, he took last place. In the 1950s Euwe completely switched to literary and social activities, wrote many valuable chess books.

Euwe was the only world champion to be FIDE president. In this position, he did a lot for chess, in particular, thanks to his skillful actions, the match Fischer - Spassky took place, in which the American champion ascended the throne. True, the president failed to seat Fischer and Karpov by no means. As a public figure and FIDE president, Euwe was a great diplomat, he always tried to smooth things over and avoided conflicts. In 1976, when Korchnoi became a defector and was left stateless (he received Swiss citizenship only many years later), Euwe proposed declaring the “chess villain” a FIDE citizen! So the applicant had two fights for the world championship with Karpov as a citizen of a country called FIDE.

Euwe was distinguished by the fact that he had good relations with all the chess players of the world. At the celebration of Euwe's 80th birthday, shortly before Euwe's death, one of his friends expressed admiration that the grandmaster lived such a long life and managed not to make enemies - an unprecedented event in the history of chess. “Since I have no enemies,” the hero of the day admitted sadly, “it means that I lived wrong ...”. Yes, Euwe never lost his sense of humor.

In the annals of chess, the Dutchman, as it were, represented a transitional stage. The first five world champions were foreigners (Alekhine lived in France), and the next after Euwe, the sixth champion in 1948 was Botvinnik, and since then, Soviet chess players for a quarter of a century, until the triumph of Fischer, did not let go of the crown from their hands.

Here are three funny stories about Max Euwe.

dangerous flight

In his youth, Euwe was a versatile athlete: he competed in the amateur ring, participated in auto racing, in swimming competitions, and even had a diploma as a sports aircraft pilot.

In one of the Dutch championships, being late for the next round in his car, he significantly exceeded the speed limit.

I think I'm driving too fast today? Euwe smiled guiltily at the policeman who stopped him.

It would be more accurate to say that you are flying too low, - the peace officer answered, recognizing the violator and writing him a fine.

Champion fiasco

On the Hague-Amsterdam train, Euwe's neighbor in the compartment was analyzing some position on pocket chess, they started talking, and a new acquaintance offered to play a couple of games.

But I consider it my duty to warn you, - said the fellow traveler, - that I am a strong chess player: three years in a row the champion of our club.

However, by the time they got to Amsterdam, Euwe managed to defeat his neighbor several times. Collecting luggage, he never ceased to be surprised:

It's just incredible! Lose three times in a row to a random partner on the train! And it's me, whom everyone calls "Euwe of our club"!

Flying Dutchman

Euwe was a passionate promoter of chess, with lectures, sessions and performances he traveled all over the world. He was not embarrassed by long distances and climate change. Like the Russian Tsar Peter I, respected in Holland, who “cut a window to Europe,” Euwe was said to have cut “chess windows” to Indonesia, South America and South Africa, Japan, Mongolia and other exotic countries for chess. And sports fans called him the same as one of the most famous football players in the country, Johan Cruyff, who was rapidly moving across the field, - the flying Dutchman. As FIDE President in the 70s, he traveled to 100 countries. This record stood for half a century until it was broken twice by the current President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov. However, during this time, the number of countries included in FIDE has exceeded 200.

Alexander Alekhine is an outstanding chess player with a bright but tragic fate. It was this man who first won the championship of the RSFSR and became the fourth world champion. His life was not easy: he went through the war, received several wounds, was undeservedly in prison, miraculously escaped execution, lived in several countries and played chess like no one else did.

Alexander Alexandrovich Alekhin had a doctorate in law, was known as a master of attack in chess combinations, had his own style of play and was a truly brilliant chess player, leaving this world undefeated. But first things first.

Childhood and youth of Alexander Alekhine

The future outstanding chess player was born on October 31, 1892 in Moscow. His parents, Alexander Ivanovich Alekhin and Anisya Ivanovna (nee Prokhorova), belonged to a noble family: his father was a collegiate assessor, and his mother was the daughter of a textile worker. The family lived well and had an estate in the Voronezh province.

Little Sasha learned to play chess at the age of seven, and his mother was his teacher, and at first Alexander did not show serious interest in this game, regarding chess as fun. But three years later, one event occurred that marked the beginning of his great future.

Real interest in chess came to Alekhine at the age of ten, after Harry Pillsbury came to Moscow for tournaments, who impressed the boy with his game and inspired him to seriously take up chess. Sasha began to play enthusiastically with his older brother, and three years later, at the age of 13, he won the competition of the Chess Review magazine. Further more. Three years later, at the age of 16 (1908), Alekhine became the champion of Moscow, and a year later, at the age of 17 (1909), he won first place and the title of maestro at the All-Russian tournament, this was his first serious success.

Achievements of a chess player in his youth

Victory after victory, prize after prize - and real passion wakes up in Alekhine, his goal is to take the chess crown. First, in 1912, he becomes the first in the championship among the Nordic countries, a year later - a victory in the tournament in Scheveningen. And in 1914, at the All-Russian tournament of masters, Alekhine shares the victory with Aron Nimtsovich, which allows him to go to the international tournament of champions. There, the chess player concedes victory to the German Emanuel Lasker and the Cuban José Raul Capablanca, but this only incites Alekhine to prepare even more seriously for the match for the chess crown.

While participating in a tournament in the German city of Mannheim, in the midst of the competition, Germany declares war on Russia, this happened on August 1. The organizers interrupt the tournament, and since Alekhine was in the lead, he is awarded first place.

Being on enemy territory, Alexander and several other chess players end up in prison, where they continue to play blind. A month and a half later, Alekhine was declared unfit for service and on September 14 he was deported to his homeland. At that time, Alexander was 22 years old.

World War I and repression

Alexander's road to his homeland was not easy. He had to return first through France, then through England and Sweden. As a result, he ended up at home only at the end of October. But on October 20, he took part in a simultaneous game in Stockholm, and gave all the money he earned to Russian chess players in German captivity. At the same time, he is deprived of all his property, and Alekhin moves to Ukraine. But in Odessa he is accused of espionage and a terrible sentence is passed - execution. Fortunately, this does not happen, and Alexander returns to his homeland, where he continues his diligent chess training.

Two years later, in 1916, when he turns 24, Alexander goes to the front as a volunteer - despite the fact that he had serious heart problems. In the war, he receives several wounds and two shell shocks, after which he had to return home.

For saving the wounded (Alekhin led the Red Cross detachment) and for his heroism, he was awarded two St. George medals and the Order of St. Stanislav.

In 1919, Alexander became an employee of the MUR, and a year later, a translator of the Comintern. He manages to successfully combine work with a hobby, becoming a chess champion in Russia.

The further path of the great chess player

In 1920, Alexander Alekhine won the All-Russian Olympiad, after which he plunged into a chess career. He begins an active life, he achieves high results at tournaments in The Hague, Budapest, London and other cities, winning victory after victory.

Alekhin also acts as the organizer of many championship matches, paying organizational expenses and awarding prize funds. In order to collect the necessary sums, he organizes “blind” matches in New York and Paris, organizes chess battles and plays in simultaneous games.

The turning point in Alekhine's career was tournaments with Jose Raul Capablanca, who invariably defeated his opponents. Alexander carefully studied his games, and as a result, he managed to win several times, thanks to which he became the fourth world champion.

Later, in 1935, Alekhine fought the Dutchman Max Euwe, and lost by just one point. But two years later, in 1935, Alexander took a revenge match (the first in the history of chess), gaining an unconditional victory. And so far this case is the only case when a chess player won as a result of a rematch.

Personal life

The brilliant chess player has never been deprived of female attention. His first wife was an employee of a Soviet organization, Alexandra Bataeva, but this union did not last long. In marriage, a daughter was born, whom the father subsequently was not interested in.

Soon Alekhine married a second time - to the Swiss journalist Anna-Lise Rügg, and although their union was also short-lived, he helped Alexander emigrate to Europe and hold a number of important tournaments for him, as well as defend his doctoral dissertation at the Sorbonne in parallel. In this marriage, a son was born, who was named Alexander in honor of his father and grandfather.

Later, the chess maestro marries for the third time, the widow of General Nadezhda Vasilyeva became his wife. This marriage was stronger than the previous ones and lasted ten years.

For the fourth (and last) time, Alexandra married a woman who was 16 years older than him, the widow of a tea planter. Thanks to her rich inheritance, Alekhine's financial situation improved significantly.

It is worth noting that all four wives of the chess player were older than him. He always cherished their photographs and photographs of his children, before whom he felt guilty that he could not devote enough time to them, being distracted by chess.

The last years of the life of a chess player

The news of the Second World War caught Alexander Alekhine in Argentina at the next Chess Olympiad. The chess player decided to return to Europe, and after learning about the occupation of France, he volunteered for the French army as an interpreter.

In 1943, the chess player fell down with scarlet fever, which he suffered very hard. Soon he moved to Spain, where he remains, living quite modestly, sometimes taking part in second-class tournaments. He has to earn his living by private lessons. And soon the famous grandmaster is no longer invited to competitions.

In 1945, Alexander is accused of anti-Semitic statements, and he is left all alone. He would play his last match in February 1946 against Portuguese champion Francisco Lupi, scoring his last victory.

At the end of March, Alekhine was supposed to play with Mikhail Botvinnik, but on the eve of the meeting, the great chess player died. He died in a hotel room in Portugal, and the cause of his death is still unclear. Doctors call asphyxia, and angina pectoris, and even murder. Alexander Alekhine was buried in the Portuguese city of Estoril, but in 1956 his ashes were reburied in Paris.

Chess achievements

Throughout his career, the brilliant chess player took part in 87 tournaments, of which he won in 62, as well as in 23 matches, of which he emerged victorious in 17, and in four more there was a draw.

Alexander Alekhine went down in history as a chess player who uses deep theoretical positions in the game, many combinations are named after him, including the famous Alekhine Defense.

He is the author of more than 20 books, most of which are collections of chess games with detailed analysis of moves and commentary on them. Alexander Alekhine left this world an undefeated king who was never dethroned.

Alexander Alekhine is the only undefeated.

Popularization of this ancient game was the main goal of the chess player, which is why he traveled to many countries and participated in world tournaments.

In life, Alekhine was an absent-minded person, not at all adapted to everyday life.

The great chess player adored cats, which he even took to tournaments. His favorite was the Siamese cat Chess (the nickname from English translates as “chess”).

Of all the cities on the planet where Alekhine visited, he loved Ryazan the most.

His grandson, Viktor Alekhin, is a master of voice acting, his voice is familiar to many. He voices audiobooks, films and cartoons, works at Humor FM radio.

On the tombstone of a chess player in Paris, the inscription is engraved: “Chess genius”.

Chess player quotes

“How many disappointments the opponent brings to the true artist in chess, striving not only for victory, but above all for the creation of a work of enduring value.”

“I willingly combine the tactical with the strategic, the fantastic with the scientific, the combinational with the positional, and I strive to meet the requirements of each given position.”

“The fact that the player was in time trouble is, in my opinion, as unexcusable as, for example, the statement of the criminal that he was drunk at the time of the crime.”

“The value of the combination increases significantly due to the fact that it is the logical conclusion of the previous positional game.”

“With a period of political oppression, some seek oblivion from everyday arbitrariness and violence in chess, while others draw strength from them for a new struggle and temper their will.”

Video about the life of a great grandmaster

He spoke several European languages, had a doctorate in law, participated in hostilities, suffered injuries, was in prison and miraculously escaped execution. He was married several times, each time to women much older than himself, and one after another suffered defeat in his personal life. He traveled all over the world without feeling at home anywhere. The meaning of his life was chess.

Alexander Alekhin went down in history not only as the fourth world chess champion, but also as the only world champion so far who retained this title until the end of his days.

He was born 120 years ago, on October 31, 1892, in Moscow, into a wealthy aristocratic family. Mother was the daughter of a Moscow manufacturer, the owner of the Trekhgornaya manufactory. Father - the leader of the nobility, a member of the State Duma.

Alexander Alekhin cannot be called a "chess prodigy": by his own admission, he began to seriously study chess only at the age of 12. But by studying theory and gradually gaining experience, by the age of 20 he became one of the strongest chess players in the world.

October 1917 deprived him of his nobility and fortune. And in 1919 in Odessa, where Alekhine came to participate in one of the chess tournaments, he was arrested by the Cheka and sentenced to death. There were rumors in the West that Alekhine had died. But he was released - someone put in a good word for the chess player.

After his release, Alekhin worked for some time in the Odessa provincial executive committee, but with the onset of the offensive of Denikin's troops, he returned to Moscow.

In 1920, he won the All-Russian Olympiad in Moscow, which is considered the country's first championship, and became the first champion of Soviet Russia. And the following year, having married the Swiss journalist Anna Rügg, Alekhine emigrated from the country.

In 1925, Alekhine received French citizenship by naturalization and defended his doctoral dissertation at the Sorbonne on "The system of imprisonment in China." But chess remained his life's work. In 1927, the 35-year-old chess player, having won against Capablanca, became the fourth world champion.

Of the 88 tournaments in which Alekhine competed, he was first in 62. He was an adherent of a flamboyant attacking style of play, an artist who created complex and spectacular multi-move combinations. Many of the maestro's parts were awarded prizes for beauty. “For me, chess is not a game, but an art,” he said.

Some noted his forgetfulness and absent-mindedness in everyday trifles, which contrasted sharply with his phenomenal chess memory: he remembered all the games played and even after a few years he could accurately repeat and parse them. According to Capablanca, "Alekhine had the most remarkable chess memory that ever existed."

Alekhine was a great lover of cats. His Siamese cat named Chess (translated from English - "chess") was constantly present at the competitions as a mascot. It is known, for example, that during the match with the Dutchman Max Euwe, the cat sniffed the board before each game.

It was Euwe who in 1935 temporarily took away the chess crown from Alekhine. The Russian champion put his opponent low and paid the price for it. Although with difficulty, the young Dutchman achieved victory, becoming the fifth world champion. However, under the terms of the contract, Euwe had to confirm his title two years later during a rematch. At the indicated time, Alekhine crushed Euwe to smithereens. Having regained the title of champion, he did not concede it to anyone else until his death.

In 1946, at the age of 53, Alekhin died suddenly. They buried him in Paris. The inscription on the monument is extremely simple: “Alexander Alekhine. Chess Genius of Russia and France.

In 1970, when the participants in the "Match of the Century" (USSR versus the rest of the world) were asked to name the best chess player of all time, the majority named Alexander Alekhine.

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Alexander Alekhine became one of the strongest chess players in the world before the First World War, taking third place in the St. Petersburg tournament in 1914, and in 1921 he left Russia and moved to permanent residence in France, of which he became a citizen in 1925. In 1927, Alekhine won a world title match against the considered invincible Jose Raul Capablanca and then dominated the competition for several years, winning the biggest tournaments of his time by a wide margin.

Twice (in 1929 and 1933) Alekhine defended the title in matches against Efim Bogolyubov, in 1935 he lost the match to Max Euwe, but two years later he won the rematch and held the title of world champion until his death. Alekhine became the only world chess champion to die undefeated.

Alekhine was an extremely versatile chess player. He is best known for his attacking style of play and spectacular, deeply calculated combinations. At the same time, he owns a large number of theoretical developments in openings, he possessed a high endgame technique.

When he was 7 years old, his mother introduced him to the rules of the game. In 1902, together with his older brother Alexei, he began to play by correspondence. In 1905, he won the 1st prize in the correspondence gambit tournament of the Chess Review magazine. In 1907 he became a member of the Moscow chess circle and took part in head-to-head competitions. In 1908 he played in the amateur tournament of the German Chess Congress in Düsseldorf and shared 4th-5th places. Wins in small matches of K.Bardeleben and B.Blumenfeld - 4.5:0.5.

In 1909, he won the All-Russian Tournament in Memory of Chigorin among amateurs and received the title of maestro. After graduating from high school in 1910, he moved to St. Petersburg and entered the Imperial School of Law. In 1912 he won the Nordic Championship in Stockholm. In 1913 in St. Petersburg he won a match against master S. Levitsky - + 7-3. In the same year, he takes first prize at the international tournament in Scheveningen (Netherlands). At the end of 1913 - beginning of 1914, he shares 1-2 places with Nimzowitsch at the All-Russian Tournament of Masters. After a match of two games (+1–1), both are admitted to the St. Petersburg International Tournament of Champions. In this tournament Alekhine takes 3rd place behind Lasker and Capablanca and becomes one of the contenders for the world championship.

In July 1914 he went to the international tournament of masters in Mannheim. Plays successfully and leads the standings. However, on the first of August the First World War begins. Alekhine is declared the winner of the tournament. The Russian participants of the tournament are interned, but he manages to free himself and return to Russia, where he gives charity simuls for Russian chess players interned in Germany. In 1916, he voluntarily went to the front at the head of a Red Cross detachment. For saving the wounded on the battlefield, he is awarded an order and medals. After a concussion, he ends up in the hospital. The October Revolution deprives Alekhine of his property and fortune; in connection with his noble origin, he has many problems. In 1918, apparently, he decides to leave Russia and goes through Kharkov to Odessa. However, he fails to leave, moreover, Gubchek arrests him and sentences him to death. Two hours before the execution of the sentence, thanks to the intervention of one of the major revolutionary figures, he was released. Returning to Moscow, he works as an interpreter at the Congress of the Comintern.

In 1920, he participated in the organization of the All-Russian Chess Olympiad, held by the Main Directorate of Vseobuch and won this competition, in essence, becoming the first champion of Soviet Russia. The following year, he marries Anna-Lise Rueg, a representative of the Swiss Social Democratic Party, and leaves Russia with her. Immediately plunges into European chess life. In the same year, he takes first prizes at international tournaments in Triberg, Budapest, The Hague. In 1922, at a major tournament in London, he was second, one and a half points behind world champion Capablanca. In the same place, he signs the so-called London Agreement, which regulates the holding of matches for the world championship. In 1923, he shares 1-3 places at the tournament in Marienbad, and the following year he takes 3rd place at a major tournament in New York (1. Lasker, 2. Capablanca). At the same time, in New York, he set a blind game record - 26 games with a score of +16–5=5.

In 1925, in Paris, he beat his own blindfold record - 27 games with a score of + 22–3 = 2. Wins a major international tournament in Baden-Baden. In 1926, he participated in five international tournaments, which he considered as preparation for the world championship match. In three of them he takes the first places (Hastings, Scarborough and Birmingham), in two (Semmering and Dresden) he becomes the second. At the end of 1926 - the beginning of 1927 he played a training match with M. Euwe - + 3–2 = 5 in favor of Alekhine.

In 1927, he participated in the sixth international tournament, where he took 2nd place after Capablanca, then won the international tournament in Kecskemét. At the end of the year, a match is played in Buenos Aires on London terms with Capablanca. Although after a convincing victory in New York, the Cuban was considered a clear favorite, especially since Alekhine had never won against Capablanca, the course of the match disproved all predictions. Already in the first game, the applicant won the first victory. Then, however, having won the 3rd and 7th games, the champion seized the lead, but, having won two games in a row - the 11th and 12th, the challenger seized the initiative in the match and did not lose it to the end. Capablanca desperately resisted, but could not change the unfavorable course of events. The two-month struggle ended with a score of +6–3=25 in favor of the new world champion. Under the London Agreement, Capablanca had the right to a rematch within a year. However, he hesitated with the challenge, and Alekhine called E. Bogolyubov to the match. The Alekhine-Bogolyubov match for the majority of 30 games took place in 1929 in a number of cities in Germany and Holland and ended ahead of schedule after 25 games - 15.5:9.5 (+11–5=8) in favor of the world champion.

In 1930 Alekhine won the international tournament in San Remo (Italy) with a score of +13=2, 3.5 points ahead of the second prize-winner A. Nimzowitsch. In the same year, at the World Olympiad in Hamburg, he led the French team and won all 9 games. The following year, at the Olympiad in Prague, he again shows the best result on the first board. At the international tournament in Bled (Yugoslavia), he takes first place, ahead of the second prize-winner Bogolyubov by 5.5 points. In 1932 he won two tournaments - in London and Switzerland. In 1933, at the Olympiad in Folkestone (England), he again shows the best result on 1 board. At the Chicago World's Fair, he sets a new world record in 32-board blindfold (+19–4=9).

In 1934 he played the second match for the world championship with Bogolyubov. It takes place in various German cities and again ends ahead of schedule, after 26 games - 15.5:10.5 (+8–3=15) in favor of the world champion. Then he soon wins the international tournament in Zurich.

At the end of 1935, he played a world championship match with M. Euwe in various cities in Holland. The competition was held in an equal fight. To retain his title, Alekhine needed to win the last 30 games. He did not succeed. Match score - 14.5:15.5 (+8–9=13). However, at the end of 1937, in a rematch, he won ahead of schedule and regained the title of champion - 15.5:9.5 (+10–4=11).

In the AVRO tournament (Holland, 1938) he shares 4-6 places with Euwe and S. Reshevsky. At the same time he began negotiations on a match with M. Botvinnik, but the Second World War violated these plans. In 1939 in Buenos Aires at the Olympiad he played for France on the first board. Returning to France, he was mobilized as a military translator. After the defeat of the French army, he tries to leave Europe, but the attempt ends in failure, and his wife remains in Nazi-occupied France. The condition of his connection with his wife, the Nazis put the participation of Alekhine in the tournaments of the German Reich. In 1941 he plays at the European Championship in Munich - he shares the second or third places behind G. Stolz, in Krakow - the first or second with P. Schmidt, in 1942 he plays at tournaments in Salzburg, Munich, Warsaw and Prague, everywhere taking first places. In 1943 he shared first and second places in Salzburg (with P. Keres) and Prague (with K. Junge). At the end of the year, the Gestapo gives him permission to leave for Spain, but refuses to leave his wife. In 1944–1945 he won a number of Spanish tournaments. At the beginning of 1946 he received a call for a match from M. Botvinnik. The British Chess Federation agrees to hold the match in England, but on March 24, 1946 Alekhine dies of a heart attack in Estoril near Lisbon. After 10 years, Alekhine's ashes were reburied in Paris, at the Montparnasse cemetery. On his monument is the inscription "To the chess genius of Russia and France."

Quotes by Alexander Alekhine:

1. During the tournament, the chess master must be a sober monk and a predator in one person. A predator in relation to a rival, an ascetic in everyday life.

2. Maintaining the maximum number of combat forces is in the interests of the side that currently has a large playing space.

3. Combination is the soul of chess.