“Who else in the entire chess history has won so many serious games with the help of brilliant

tactical
strokes?”

--Former World Champion Gary Kasparov on Alekhine.

Chess needs great focus and complete immersion. That is the simple secret of playing well. Alexander
Alekhine didn’t let his past move his mind; didn’t let future disturb either. When the world was torn with
hard times of war and revolution in Europe, Alekhine faced adversities with poise—on and off board.

Alekhine’s playing style was the embodiment of psychological aggression. His real genius lies in the
preparation and construction of a position, long before combination or mating attacks come into
consideration at all. Combined with explosive energy and rich imagination; Alekhine manically strived to
finish off his opponents. As Bobby Fischer once rightly proclaimed, “if you see one Alekhine game,
you’ve seen them all.” Such is in the magnum of his brilliance.

Alekhine was born in Russia but later became a citizen of France. He successfully became the fourth
World Chess Champion by defeating José Raúl Capablanca in 1927. In the following years, he defended
his title with ease against Efim Bogoljubov in 1929 and 1934. He was defeated by Max Euwe in 1935, but
regained his crown in the 1937 rematch. His playing strength was way ahead of his times. To this day,
Alekhine is considered the greatest players of all time.
“The purpose of human life and the sense of happiness is to give the maximum what the man is able to
give.”- Alexander Alekhine

Off board, Alekhine experienced all the dualities of life. When World War I broke out, he and fellow
Russian chess players were imprisoned in Germany. When Alekhine returned to Russia, he helped raise
money to aid the players who remained interned in Germany by giving simultaneous exhibitions. Apart
from playing, Alekhine wrote over twenty books on chess. Thereby, immensly contributed his ideas to
chess theory. Many openings and opening variations are named after him.

Creative Chess Academy