107 Great Chess Battles Alexander Alekhine Edited and translated by E G Winter i o Oxford University Press 1980 Oxford University Press, Walton Sireel, Oxford OX2 6DP OXFORD LO�DON GLASCOW NEW YORk TORONTO MELDOURNI:: WELLINGTON kUALA LUMPUR SIr-;GAPORE JAkARTA IIONG kONG DELHI BOMBAY CALCUTTA MADRAS KARACHI NAIROBI DAR ES SAI.AAM CAPE TOWN © Oxford University Pre.. 1980 All rights reserved. No part of this publication mal' be reproduced. stored in II retrieval system, or trantmitted. in any fann or by any means� electronic, mechaniCllI, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior penn_ion of Oxford Univeflity PreIS This book is $Old subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold� hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher', prior consent in any form of binding or colier other than that in which it;$ published and without II similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Alekhin, Aleksandr Aleksandrovich 107 great chess battles. 1. Chess - Collections of games I. Title II. Winter, E G III. Hundred and seven great chess battles 794.1'5 GV1452 79-41072 ISBN 0-19-217590-4 ISBN 0-19-217591-2 Pbk Set by Hope SeTVices, Abingdon and printed in Great Britain by Lowe & Brydone Printers Ltd. Thetford, Norfolk Preface Alexander Alekhine, chess champion of the world for over sixteen years, was one of the greatest players of all time. He also wrote some of the finest chess books ever produced, of which the last published in English was MyBestGamesofChess1924- 1937 (London, 19391. He continued writing extensively throughout the war years, mostly for publication in Spanish, but virtually none of this material has ever been translated into English. The present book is a compilation of 107 games annotated by Alekhine between 1939 and his death in 1946. The supreme genius of the complicated position guides us patiently and entertainingly through the most fascinating of chess battles. Often he delights us with his candid views on fellow masters and rivals for his world title. I should like to thank Mr. Bernard Cafferty for kindly clearing up a number of obscure points, and also the editor of the British Chess Magazine for permission to reprint Game 68 and the remarkable tribute to Capablanca that precedes it. Collecting together these games and translating the notes has been an immensely enjoyable and rewarding task and I sincerely hope that the reader will derive as much pleasure and benefit from them. E.G. Winter London 1979 Oxford Chess Books Editor: Adam Hart-Davis Irving Chernev The Golden Dozen Irving Chernev Capab/anca's Best Chess Endings Fischer's Chess Games Introduction by Raymond Keene H. Golombek & W. R. Hartston The Best Games of C. H. 0'0. Alexander T. D. Harding Better Chess for Average Chess-Players Korchnoi's Chess Games Introduction by Bill Hartston W. R. Hartston & R. D. Keene Karpov-Korchno; 1974 David Levy & Kevin O'C onnell Oxford Encyclopedia of Ches& Games P. R. Markland The Best of Karpov H. J. R Murray A History of Ches& Alan Phillips The Che.. Teacher J. N. Wal ker Chess Openings for Juniors J. N. Walker Attacking the King J. N. Walker First Steps in Chess Simon Webb Chess for 71ge(s If you would like to receive regular information about Oxford Chess Books, we should be happy to send you eUr free bulletin. Just send your name and address on a postcard to Oxford University Press (Chess) Freepost Oxford OX2 6Br No stamp is required if you post the card in the United Kingdom Contents PART ONE: OPEN GAMES Ruy Lopez Game Players Occasion Page 1 Pleci-Friedemann Buenos Aires 1939 1 2 Kashdan-Reshevsky Sixth match game 1942 3 3 Keres- Rabar Munich 1942 5 4 Kashdan -Reshevsky Eighth match game 1942 7 5 Alekhine-Schmidt Salzburg 1942 9 6 Alekhine-Rey Ardid Second match game 1944 10 7 Alekhine-Zollner Cracow 1942 13 8 Foltys-Keres Salzburg 1943 15 9 Ale kh ine-Junge Cracow 1942 17 10 Alekhine-Barcza Munich 1942 1B 11 Samisch -Alekhine Prague 1943 20 12 Alekhine-Pomar Gij6n 1944 21 13 Alekhine-Rohacek Munich 1941 25 14 Pomar-Perez Madrid 1945 28 15 Ropstorff-Bogoljubov Warsaw 1942 30 16 Kashdan-Reshevsky Second match game 194 2 32 17 Kashdan-Reshevsky Fourth match game 1942 34 18 Cruz-Apscheneek Buenos Aires 1939 37 19 K ieninger-Alek hine Munich 1941 39 Four Knights Game 20 Lundin-Michel Buenos Aires 1939 42 Three Knights Game 21 Pahl-Werkmeister Berlin 1942 44 Philidor's Defence 22 Piazzini-Tartakower Buenos Aires 1939 46 23 Von Bardeleben-Alekhine Dusseldorf 1908 49 Scotch Gambit 24 Medina-Keres Madrid 1943 52 25 Ribeiro-Pomar Match 1945 54 PART TWO: SEMI-OPEN GAMES French Defence 26 Bogoljubov-Alekhine Cracow 1942 57 27 Yanofsky-Dulanto Buenos Aires 1939 59 28 Lundin-Raud Buenos Aires 1939 61 29 Pleci-Endzelins Buenos Aires 1939 64 30 Keres-Stahlberg Buenos Aires 1939 65 31 Alekhine-Bartosek Prague 1943 69 32 Keres-Flores Buenos Aires 1939 71 33 Pomar-Alekhine Madrid 1945 73 34 Apscheneek-Alekhine Buenos Aires 1939 76 Caro-Kann Defence 35 Keres-Mikenas Buenos Aires 1939 80 36 Pomar-Rico Bi lbao 1945 83 37 Richter-Kieninger Cracow 1940 84 38 Pomar-Sanz Madrid 1945 86 39 Alekhine-Eliskases Buenos Aires 1939 87 40 Alekhine-Richter Munich 1942 90 41 Brinckmann-Heinick,e Frankfurt 1942 94 42 Capablanca-Czerniak Buenos Aires 1939 95 43 Alekhine-Navarro Madrid 1941 98 Sicilian Defence 44 Milner-Barry-Foltys Buenos Aires 1939 99 45 Rometti-De Ronde Buenos Aires 1939 101 46 Hasenfuss-Teteris Lithuania 1942 103 47 Keres-Foltys Munich 1942 104 48 Foltys-Stoltz Munich 1942 106 49 Alekhine-Tsvetkov Buenos Aires 1939 107 50 Alekhine-Podgorny Prague 1943 110 Alekhine's Defence 51 Reed-Danielsson Buenos Aires 1939 114 Ki ng's Pawn, Nimzowitsch Defence 52 Rojahn-Czerniak Buenos Aires 1939 116 PART THREE: CLOSED GAMES Queen's Gambit Declined, Orthodox Defence 53 Grau-Eliskases Buenos Aires 1939 119 54 Stahlberg-Piazz i ni Buenos Aires 1939 121 55 Alekhine-Kunerth Cracow 1942 123 56 Menchik-Graf Buenos Aires 1939 125 57 Alekhine and W. Cruz v Silva Rocha, Charlier, and O. Cruz Rio de Janeiro 1939 129 58 Lundin-Silva Rocha Buenos Aires 1939 132 59 Kahn-Schmidt Buenos Aires 1939 134 Queen's Gambit Declined, Slav Defence 60 Reshevsky -Kashdan Eleventh match game 1942 136 61 St3hlberg-Van Scheltinga Buenos Aires 1939 139 Queen's Gambit Accepted 62 Opocensky-Lundin Buenos Aires 1939 141 Queen's Pawn, Nimzowitsch Defence 63 Reshevsky -Kashdan Seventh match game 1942 143 64 Enevoldsen-Aleklfine Buenos Aires 1939 146 65 Bol bochan -Poulsen Buenos Aires 1939 150 66 Petrov-Mikenas Buenos Aires 1939 152 67 Capablanca-Mikenas Buenos Aires 1939 155 68 Enevoldsen-Capablanca Buenos Aires 1939 158 69 Pomar-Ticoulat Balearic Islands 1944 161 70 Reshevsky-Kashdan Fifth match game 1942 162 71 Tartakower-Enevoldsen Buenos Aires 1939 164 72 Pomar-R ibeiro Match 1945 166 73 Junge-Bogoljubov Munich 1942 16B King's Indian Defence 74 Flores-Najdorf Buenos Aires 1939 170 GrOnfeld Defence 75 Flores-Czerniak Buenos Aires 1939 172 76 Russher-Walcicer Cracow/Warsaw 1942 174 77 Grau-Mikenas Buenos Aires 1939 175 7B Reshevsky-Kashdan First match game 1942 179 79 Reshevsky-Kashdan Third match game 1942 lB2 BO Reshevsky-Kashdan Ninth match game 1942 lB5 Bl Kashdan-Reshevsky Tenth match game 1942 lBB Queen's Indian Defence B2 Opocensky-Capablanca Buenos Aires 1939 190 B3 Alekhine-Keres Munich 1942 193 B4 Opocensky-Keres Buenos Aires 1939 194 B5 Bogoljubov-Rellstab Cracow 1940 199 Queen's Pawn, Benoni Defence B6 Van Scheltinga-Opocensky Buenos Aires 1939 200 Dutch Defence B7 Petrov-Tartakower Buenos Aires 1939 202 Budapest Gambit 88 Van Scheltinga-Tartakower Buenos Aires 1939 205 Albin Counter Gambit 89 Siimisch-Medina Madrid 1943 208 Queen's Pawn Game 90 Petrov-Grau Buenos Aires 1939 209 91 M ikenas-Czerniak Buenos Aires 1939 212 92 Mikenas-Alekhine Buenos Aires 1939 214 93 Czerniak -Tartakower Buenos Aires 1939 218 94 Trompowsky, Silva Rocha, and Charlier v Alekhine and O. Cruz Rio de Janeiro 1939 222 95 Trompowsky-Vaitonis Buenos Aires 1939 223 96 Bogoljubov-Alekhine Salzburg 1942 225 English Opening 97 Czerniak-Alekhine Buenos Aires 1939 230 98 Leepin-Alekhine Munich 1941 233 99 Keres-Richter Munich 1942 235 100 Sajtar-Alekhine Prague 1943 237 Reti's Opening 101 Engels-Bergqv ist Buenos Aires 1939 240 102 Stllhlberg-Rojahn Buenos Aires 1939 243 103 Stllhlberg-Castillo Buenos Aires 1939 245 Catalan System 104 Foltys-M ichel Buenos Aires 1939 247 105 Barcza-Bogoljubov Munich 1942 250 106 Alekhine-Rabar Munich 1942 251 107 Alekhine-Bogoljubov Warsaw 1943 253 PART ONE : OPEN GA MES Ruy Lopez GAME 1 Buenos Aires 1939 Ruy Lopez White: I. PLECI (Argentina) Black: FRIEDEMANN (Estonia) 1 e4 e5 This capture (which should have 2 Nf3 Ne6 been replaced by 14 Nbd2, threaten­ ing 15 Nxe5 etc., with advantage) is 3 Bb5 a6 rightly considered by theory to be 4 Ba4 Nf6 too dangerous. But the reasons that have been given to support this 5 O.() Be7 opinion have been incomplete or 6 Re1 b5 unconvincing. The present game 7 Bb3 d6 therefore offers a good opportunity 8 e3 Na5 to arrive at a solution of this little opening problem. I venture to predict that within a 14 Oxe5 space of three years this premature move (correct clearly would be 15 Rxa5 Ng4 8 ... 0·0 9 h3 Na5) will be univers· 16 g3 ally and definitively abandoned in The only alternative, 16 f4, would favour of castl ing.