Clash of Titans:Part III

World Chess Championship Matches (Anthology):Volume I

Edited by Igor Berdichevsky

Hardback:311 pages

Russian Chess House.2002

Two Russian matadors, one with a French passport, the other with a German one,travelling through Germany and Holland, playing a match for the world championship...The contest was very interesting for its chess content-Berdichevsky

Among all the world championship matches I have seen, Alekhine-Bogoljubow 1929 is closest to my heart. In his book of the Match W.H.Watts wrote,

The retention by Alekhine of his title of World's Chess Champion as the result of his match with Bogoljubow came as no surprise to the Chess World, but few can have anticipated the extraordinary fight which the challenger made of it. The games are without exception bright and abound in critical positions ...even most of the drawn games breathe the real spirit of CHESS.Both contestants have unhesitatingly elected forcombinative, even hazardous play when opportunity served and have thus produced a number of profoundly interesting games... Bogoljubow has never been a "safety first'' exponent, and Alekhine... met him on his own ground.Both have regarded attack as the best defence...After playing the games through...one is left with the distinct impression that both the champion and and the challenger play chess for the love of the game rather than for its financial rewards.

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When the match began Alekhine scored a sparkling victory in the very first game and left every one in no doubt about his superb form: http://www.latestchess.com/showNews.php?id=265

But Bogoljubow was not disheartened and staked everything on a victory in the second game.Here is that incredible contest, and you will enjoy matching your wits with the two rivals.Now when you reach the following position, you find that Black played 26...d3.Would he have won if he had played differently?

 

 

 

 

 

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If you foresaw the variation in the above position, congrats!

But we have not finished yet.

 

 

 

 

 

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That was another incredible variation.But the final crisis is reached on the 40th move. Finding himself in a desperate position here, Bogoljubow comes up with an ingenious solution.What is it? How would you have responded if you were Black?

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A magnificent struggle, worthy of both the rivals.For the record it may be mentioned that Alekhine won the match with the score of 15½-9½.

Links:

http://www.chess.com/article/view/world-chess-championship-matches-1

http://www.chess.com/article/view/clash-of-titanspart-ii

To be continued

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