Alekhine’s amazing run

Seventy-five years ago, the great Russian world champion Alexander Alekhine had one of the most remarkable runs of success the game has ever seen.

At the Italian Riviera resort town of San Remo, Alekhine won 13 and drew two to obliterate a field that included such strong players as Akiba Rubinstein, Efim Bogoljubov, Frederick Yates and Aron Nimzowitsch. A few months later, the champ scored nine wins and nine draws at a strong team event in Hamburg, Germany.

Hard as it is to believe now, Alekhine’s credentials had been questioned after his upset victory over the Cuban Jose Raul Capablanca to win the world crown three years earlier. The failure to arrange a rematch of these two great champions is a pity, but Alekhine’s streak in 1930 dispelled any doubts about his legitimacy.

Alekhine annotated several of his wins from San Remo for his “My Best Games of Chess” series of books, including his testing win over the fine Yugoslav GM Milan Vidmar.

Alekhine loved sharp play in the opening, and his experiment in this Nimzo-Indian with 7. Qc2 Nc6! (c5 was the normal move at the time) pays off on 8. e3 e5 9. f3? (the winner suggests the wild 9. cxd5 Qxd5 10. Bc4 Qa5+ 11. b4! Nxb4 12. Qxe4 Nc2+ 13. Ke2 Qe1+ 14. Kf3 Nxa1 15. Bb2 Be6 16. d5 0-0-0 17. dxe6 fxe6 18. Kg3 as better for White) Nf6 (Qh4+?! 10. g3 Nxg3 11. Qf2 Nf5 12. cxd5 is fine for White) 10. cxd5 Qxd5 11. Bc4 Qd6 12. dxe5 Nxe5, giving Black free and easy play.

With the opening slipping away, White sharpens the play, but Black is prepared: 13. Bd2!? 0-0! 14. Bb4 c5! 15. Rd1 (not 15. Bxc5?? Qxc5 16. Bxf7+ Rxf7 17. Qxc5 Nd3+, winning; Vidmar banked on this interpolation, but Alekhine has a counter) Qc6!, when 16. Bxc5 Nxc4 17. Qxc4 (Bxf8 Kxf8) b6 wins material.

But White stiffens on 19. Kf2 Re6 20. Nh3! (more aggressive than 20. Ne2, as the knight will travel to g5 with effect 12 moves later) Ne4+! 21. Ke1 (fxe4 Rf6) Ned6 22. Qd3 Nxe3! 23. Bxe3 c4! 24. Qd5 (White must stop 24…Nf5) Rxe3+ 25. Kf2 Qxd5.

Black wins a pawn but cannot hold it on 31. Rxb7 Nxa3 32. Ng5!, when 32…f6? 33. Ne6 g6 34. Nc7 Rc8 Rxa7 is a trivial draw. But the outside passed pawn — and Alekhine’s endgame mastery — prove just enough to preserve the win.

The game turns on a tiny finesse and a major misjudgment: 35. Rb2 a3! 36. Rxc2 a2 37. Rxa2? (Alekhine recommended 37. Rc1! a1=Q 38. Rxa1 Rxa1 gives White time to play 39. g4) Rxa2+ 38. Kg3 Kf8 39. h4?. This move and Vidmar’s 47th are just wrongheaded, as White’s best chance of holding the ending is by keeping his pawns linked and close to home.

The Black king and rook gradually constrict the scope of White’s forces, and the advanced White h-pawn proves a fatal weakness.

The game ended 51. Ne6 (Nh3 Ra2 52. Nf4 Ra5 53. Ne6 Rxh5 54. Nxg7 Rg5+) Rd5 52. f4 Rf5 53. Kg4 Rf6 54. f5 Rf7 55. g3 (Nd8 Rf6 56. ne6 Ke4 57. Nxg7 Rf7 58. Ne6 Rxf5 59. g3 Re5 60. Nf4 Rg5+ 61. Kh4 Kf3 wins) Ke4 56. Nc5+ Kd4! 57. Nb3+ Ke5, and Vidmar resigned as his kingside collapses.

Against Swedish star Gideon Stahlberg in Hamburg, Alekhine gave a completely dominating performance. In another Nimzo-Indian, Stahlberg fails to appreciate the power of his opponent’s budding attack, and he goes down in scintillating fashion.

White’s 17. Rfd1 Rd8 18. a4? (Alekhine typically prefers the forcing 18. Qe5 f4! 19. Qc7! [fxe4 Ng6 20. Qc7 Nxf4 is better for Black] Bxf3 20. Bxf3 fxe3 21. fxe3 Nf5 is dynamically equal) makes sense strategically — White’s major asset is his queenside pawn majority. But Black’s coiled forces have a lot of dynamic energy, and the long diagonal and the half-open f-file will prove devastating.

Black pounces with 18…f4 19. a5 fxe3 20. Qxe3 Nf5 21. Qc3 d6!, a fine move that clears d7 for the rook. On 23. Ne1 (Ra7 Rd7 stops White cold) e5 24. Ra7 Nd4! (Rd7 25. c5!?, with the threat of 26. Bb5, muddies the waters) 25. Qe3 Rd7 27. f3 Rf4 28. Bd3 Qh5 (threatening 29…e4! 30. Qxd4 exf3 31. Qe3 fxg2, with an overwhelming attack), Black has built up a dream attacking formation.

The champion clinches things with a beautifully quiet move: 29. Bf1 29. Qg5! 30. Rf2 (see diagram) h6!!, defending the queen on g5 and threatening to blast a hole in White’s defenses at the f3-square. Now on 31. Qd2, Black wins the pawn ending after 31… Bxf3 32. Nxf3 Nxf3+ 33. Rxf3 Rxf3 34. Qxg5 Rxf1+ 35. Rxf1 Rxf1+ 36. Kxf1 hxg5 37. Ke2 Kf7 38. Kf3 Ke6 39. Ke4 b5!, and Black’s center breaks through.

White goes down in flames instead with 31. Kh1 Rxf3!, and Stahlberg resigns as 32. Qxg5 Rxf2, threatening 33…hxg5 and 33…Rxf1 mate, is crushing.

San Remo, January 1930

VidmarAlekhine

1. d4Nf630. Rb3Nc4

2. c4e631. Rxb7Nxa3

3. Nc3Bb432. Ng5a5

4. Qc2d533. Nxf7a4

5. a3Bxc3+34. Nd6Nc2

6. Qxc3Ne435. Rb2a3

7. Qc2Nc636. Rxc2a2

8. e3e537. Rxa2Rxa2+

9. f3Nf638. Kg3Kf8

10. cxd5Qxd539. h4Ke7

11. Bc4Qd640. Ne4h6

12. dxe5Nxe541. Nf2Ke6

13. Bd20-042. Nd3Kf5

14. Bb4c543. Nf4Ra4

15. Rd1Qc644. Nd3Rc4

16. Bd2Bf545. Nf2Rc6

17. Qxf5Nxc446. Nh3Ke5

18. Bc1Rfe847. h5Rc2

19. Kf2Re648. Nf4Rd2

20. Nh3Ne4+49. Nh3Kd4

21. Ke1Ned650. Nf4Ke3

22. Qd3Nxe351. Ne6Rd5

23. Bxe3c452. f4Rf5

24. Qd5Rxe3+53. Kg4Rf6

25. Kf2Qxd554. f5Rf7

26. Rxd5Rd355. g3Ke4

27. Rxd3cxd356. Nc5+Kd4

28. Rd1Nc457. Nb3+Ke5

29. Rxd3Nxb2White resigns

Hamburg Team Tournament, July 1930

StahlbergAlekhine

1. d4Nf617. Rfd1Rd8

2. c4e618. a4f4

3. Nc3Bb419. a5fxe3

4. Qb3c520. Qxe3Nf5

5. dxc5Nc621. Qc3d6

6. Nf3Ne422. axb6axb6

7. Bd2Nxc523. Ne1e5

8. Qc2f524. Ra7Nd4

9. a3Bxc325. Qe3Rd7

10. Bxc30-026. Ra2Rdf7

11. b4Ne427. f3Rf4

12. e3b628. Bd3Qh5

13. Bd3Nxc329. Bf1Qg5

14. Qxc3Bb730. Rf2h6

15. 0-0Ne731. Kh1Rxf3

16. Be2Qe8White resigns

David R. Sands can be reached at 202/636-3178 or by e-mail at dsands@washington times.com.