ALEXANDER ALEKHINE: MASTER OF ATTACK

Authors: Alexander Raetsky and Maxim Chetverik

Everyman Chess (2004)

176 pages

$18.95

Reviewed by Donald K. McKim

The great Alexander Alekhine (1892-1946), say the authors, “occupies a special place in every Russian chess player’s heart.” His turbulent life and career coupled with his great chess successes makes him one of the most interesting chess grandmasters.

This book focuses on Alekhine as a “master of attack.” His sustained barrages against enemies on the chessboard and his intricate combinations have meant his games continue to be studied for the bold strokes of genius they contain. This is a splendid volume in which the authors have provided some of Alekhine’s best attacks and combinations in the form of a collection of exercises. There is some flexibility as to how the book can be used, as the authors say:

“…because a gardener needs to learn about the roots as well as the flower, we have included many games in full for those who want to go into them more deeply. However, it is perfectly possible to be like the florist who prepares the flowers for selling, or simply the customer who enjoys the beautiful flowers without worrying about how they got there. We are happy to let each reader choose what suits him or her best.”

There are one hundred fifty three puzzles in the book. A position from one of Alekhine’s games is given, a short description with a question is posed like: “How does Black refute White’s play?” or “How does Alekhine break the defense?” To assist the reader, an “Alekhine Tip” is given for each puzzle. The Tip is a one sentence “nod” toward what needs to be done to solve the puzzle. The final chapter contains the solutions to the puzzles in the context of the record of the moves of the game so one can see both how the puzzle situation emerged in play, and how it was resolved.

A short biography of Alekhine begins this book. Here the authors describe his tempestuous life and his great chess triumphs, including his September 1927 World Championship match in Buenos Aires against the great Capablanca. Raetsky and Chetverik say that in addition to Alekhine’s strong preparations, Capablanca had underestimated Alekhine’s strength and by the end of the thirty-four games of the match, only Alekhine had any strength left. They also say that the care given to the challenger by his third wife, Nadezhda Vasiliev, was a key to his victory. On November 29, 1927, Alekhine became the fourth champion of the world.

Ironically, Alekhine himself underestimated the Dutch grandmaster Max Euwe, who in 1935 successfully defeated Alekhine 15 1/2 to 14 1/2 for the World Championship. The return match held in 1937 resulted in Alekhine’s defeating Euwe 15 1/2 to 9 1/2 to regain the title. This was the last serious match in Alekhine’s life. During the war years, Alekhine won nine of the sixteen tournaments in which he participated and in four more he shared first prize. He lived in Spain from 1943 until the end of the war when he moved to the town of Estoril in Portugal. In the midst of his preparations for a championship match with the Soviet champion Mikhail Botvinnik, Alekhine died on March 24, 1946.   

These instructive games of Alekhine, interestingly presented by the authors, will sharpen one’s abilities for attacking and recognizing combinations on the chessboard. The book is a tribute to Alekhine’s genius. Garry Kasparov once said, “I fell in love with the rich complexity of his ideas at the chessboard. Alekhine’s attacks came suddenly, like destructive thunderstorms that erupted from a clear sky.” This book captures these “thunderstorms!”