Alexander Alekhine

Alexander Alekhine (1892-1946) was a chess giant. He defeated Capablanca to become World Champion (1927), lost his title to Max Euwe (1935), then regained it against Euwe (1937). He is the only World Chess Champion who died while holding the title.

Alekhine specialized in fierce attacks. He was a master of positional play and played the endgame with great skill. He contributed significant annotations, particularly for the New York 1924 tournament book.  The Alekhine Defense (https://www.chess.com/article/view/the-openings-of-world-champions-alekhines-defense) and Alekhine Variations remind us of his innovations and insights. Euwe said that "Alekhine is a poet who creates a work of art out of something that would hardly inspire another man to send home a picture post-card." (cited in Wikipedia).

Basic to Alekhine study are his over twenty chess books (see https://www.google.com/search?q=inauthor:%22Alexander+Alekhine%22&num=100&tbm=bks&lr=lang_en&sa=X) and especially Alexander Alekhine's Chess Games, 1902-1946, ed. Leonard M. Skinner and Robert G.P. Verhoeven (Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., 1998).

Alekhine's life was tumultous spanning World War I, the Russian Revolution, and World War II. His multiple marriages, political allegiances, accusations of anti-Semitism, his mysterious death, and his personality itself attrack attention. Alekhine has been said to be "an enigma and many aspects of his life and behavior are clouded in mystery" (Skinner and Verhoeven, xiii). Alekhine is buried in Paris.

The Crossword below focuses on aspects of Alekhine's life. I hope it will stimulate further Alekhine study and appreciation for "one of the most exciting and profound chess players of all time" (Skinner and Verhoeven, xiii).

I hope you enjoyed thinking about Alexander Alekhine!

For the answers to the Crossword, click on the View Solution button below.

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