100 Days 100 Chess Players Alexander Alekhine

Hello guys and welcome to the first of 100 Chess Players. Our guest today is Alexander Alekhine!!!

Alexander Alekhine was probably the most outstanding and controversial figure in chess history, celebrated as a genius and a complex character. He was born on October 31, 1892, in Moscow, Russia, and later became the fourth World Chess Champion from 1927 to 1935 and then again from 1937 until his death in 1946. All his life and chess career were under the shadow of outstanding achievements and great controversies common for that time.

Early Life and Career
Alekhine demonstrated phenomenal gifts in chess from an early age. He started playing at the age of six and quickly improved, acquiring a reputation as one of the finer players around Moscow. During his teens, he played in major tournaments, attracting attention with his aggressive style and his innovation in tactics. He studied law at the University of Moscow but decided eventually to make chess his profession.

In 1911, Alekhine played his first important tournament and did well. But then World War I intervened, and he served in the Russian army. Following the war, Alekhine emerged as one of the world's leading players, and over the years competed with such giants as José Raúl Capablanca, against whom he eventually played in the match for the World Championship.

Capablanca vs Alekhine 1927

World Championship and Style of Play
The match between Alekhine and Capablanca in Buenos Aires in 1927 was the watershed of chess history. In this exhausting tournament of games, Alekhine won with difficulty and became the World Chess Champion. His style was characterized by an amazingly deep analysis of very complicated structures and skillful dynamics created by means of an attack. Alekhine was also impressively well-prepared for each tournament or match and was outstandingly psychologically keen, quite often outmaneuvering his opponents both on and off the board.

During his period as champion, Alekhine had to defend his title against many people, including Efim Bogoljubov and Max Euwe. Therein, his matches were not mere tests of skill but also an exhibition of strategic depth wherein he would introduce new ideas in openings and new tactical concepts in the middlegame.

Controversies and Challenges
Alekhine's life was also full of controversy. His political stance, at a time when fascism was on the rise in Europe, was out of favor. He also admired Nazi Germany, which further made many suspect his political allegiance. In World War II, Alekhine did not leave France and was even accused of collaboration, which further convoluted his legacy. After the war, he was taken to task by the chess world for what many saw as his wartime treachery and pro-Nazi remarks, but he continued playing at the top level and won many tournaments.

Later Years and Legacy
He was also the source of much controversy at various times throughout his life and yet he was still considered a major factor in chess until his death on March 24, 1946, in Portugal. Alekhine contributed much to chess theory and strategy upon which a whole new generation of players based their teaching and learning. He is credited with having developed further many openings and worked out new tactical ideas which are still studied today.

Alekhine's legacy is multifaceted; he is remembered as a brilliant chess tactician and a polarizing figure in chess history. His life story epitomized the problems one of the most turbulent periods in history, thus making him a subject of interest among chess players and historians alike. Analysis of Alekhine's games with modern tools shows depth in strategy, and his contributions to the game remain substantial enough to secure him a place among the legends of chess. 

Alexander Alekhine(white) vs Grigori Hellbach (black)

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