CHÂN DUNG MƯỜI NHÀ CHƠI CỜ VĨ ĐẠI

The 20th century is the golden century of chess, the oldest and most beautiful game created by men. In this century, from the “Royal Game” chess has been transformed to the “Game of Millions” and marked by the names of thousands of chess players.

The readers of Chess Informant made their own selection of THE MAGNIFICENT TEN, who had the greatest impact by their artistry and tournament results. According to the selection of the Chess Informant readers, their names are the following:

1.	Fischer	79.9%
2.	Kasparov	77.7%
3.	Alekhine	60.2%
4.	Capablanca	53.9%
5.	Botvinnik	45.1%
6.	Karpov	43.7%
7.	Tal	36.5%
8.	Lasker	27.1%
9.	Anand	12.0%
10.	Korchnoi	9.7%

(percentage ratio between obtained and maximum points)

Here are ten names for the chess history! Chess Informant intend to highlight their personalities, once again stating the preserved opinions, estimations and impressions of their contemporaries, together with the examples of their creations and results.

Fischer, Robert James

The best chess player of the 20th century, selected by
the readers of Chess Informant

Birth: Mar 9, 1943 Chicago, Illinois, USA
Nationality: USA – United States of America
Titles: GM – International Grandmaster
Biographical data: US player
International Master, 1957.
International GrandMaster, 1958.
World Champion, 1972-1975.
US Champion, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966.

Portoroz, 1958

The most important results:

1958	5th-6th at the Portoroz Interzonal and gained the Grandmaster title.
1959	5th-6th at the Bled/Zagreb/Beograd Candidates tournament, won by Mikhail Tal.
1961	2nd place at the Alekhin Memorial in Bled, Yugoslavia, behind Tal.
1962	Bobby won the Interzonal in Stockholm with 13 wins, 9 draws, and no losses.
1966	2nd place at the Piatigorsky Cup in Santa Monica, behind Spassky.
1970	1st place at Rovinj/Zagreb. 1st place at Buenos Aires. 1st place at the Palma de Mallorca Interzonal.
1971	Bobby Fischer defeated Mark Taimanov with 6 wins, no draws, no losses in the Candidates quarterfinals in Vancouver, Canada. He defeated Bent Larsen with 6-0 score in the Candidates semi-final in Denver, Colorado. Fischer defeated Tigran Petrosian with 5 wins, 3 draws, and 1 loss in Buenos Aires for the Candidates finals.
1972	Bobby became world champion after winning 7 games, drawing 11 games, and losing 3 games (one on forfeit).

Re-match with Boris Spassky in Sveti Stefan,
Yugoslavia, 1992. Fischer won the match with 10 wins,
5 losses, and 15 draws.

Fischer has not played any rated game since 1972. However, FIDE acknowledged his previous results
when the rating list was introduced in 1975.

Eeeasy!

Oh, go find something else to do – at your age
Fischer had been out of chess for five years already.

Dateline Sousse, 1967, Interzonal Tournament for the World Chess Championship: Fischer is out; Fischer continues playing; Fisher is definitely leaving; Fischer is back; Fischer is packing; the judge is packing, too; Reshevsky is packing; the Russians are packing to go…

When one day Grandmaster Kavalek strolled into the hotel lounge in the company of an attractive blonde, this is how he explained his conquest to his inquisitive colleagues: “You have to go here and go there. Here in this hotel, there is no one but Fischer.”

I had come to Tunisia together with Grandmaster Larsen, direct from a tournament in Canada. We were met at the airport by professor Belkadi, president of the Tunisian Chess Federation. We were driven in his car to Sousse, a Mediterranean summer resort about a hundred kilometres south of the capital city. Happily oblivious of the troublesome days ahead – the most memorable of which will no doubt be the one when he delivered to Fischer a written warning and the latter tore it to pieces and flung them into his face – the professor was pleased with the preparations.

“A difficulty does crop up now and then, but everything will come right. Fischer, a very nice fellow otherwise, has changed his room three times already. He’s got peculiar demands. For instance he says that those players who write down their moves first and play them afterwards should not be allowed to do so. It irritates him, he says…”

“Does it now!” a visibly ruffled Larsen joined the conversation. “Well, in that case, if I so feel like it, I’ll not only jot down my move first and then make the move, but I’ll write it backwards: from right to left, and from the bottom up.”

Robert Fischer
a farewell to chess at his peak

Before arriving in Sousse, Fischer and Reshevsky received assurances from the organizers that their religious feelings would be respected, and that the times of their playing on Fridays and Saturdays would be adjusted to their wishes. As the tournament was about to begin, Fischer came up with the additional demand that others should conform to their schedules: whenever Fischer and Reshevsky start play on a Saturday after the sunset, all others, and not just the opponents of these two, should also play. And the same would go for Fridays. (If they had let him have his way, Fischer might next have shaved his head and expected everyone else to follow suit.) At a tense point during his game with Kavalek, Fischer became aware of the clicking of a shutter even though the offending camera was some ten paces away. He jumped up, stopped the clock and pointed at the culprit: “Either this man is out, or Fischer stops playing!”

A stalemate ensued. The man knew absolutely nothing about the organizers’ promise to Fischer that he wouldn’t be photographed, and the delicate situation was, further complicated because he was a Soviet Embassy official. Supremely self-confident, Fischer pursued a clear objective that betokened reverence for the game of chess – or possibly doubts in his own powers. Having outclassed Stein, until then the most successful Soviet grandmaster, Fischer was beset with questions from an astonished crowd: “How did you manage to pull it off?” “Eeeasy!” – he drawled nonchalantly. After that victory, and being far ahead in the lead, he was quite entitled to say, and indeed did say, that he was the best in the whole tournament.

Hardly was the half-way point reached than he hastened to tell the world and himself that he was the best, albeit tormented whether he would in fact succeed. And then, as the eleventh round was about to begin, Fischer staged his first walkout.

World vs. USSR, Belgrade, 1970
Fischer and Petrosian

The eleventh round eventually did start. Stein, leading with white pieces, was paired off with the inexperienced Tunisian Bouazis. He would most probably win the game; his loss against Fischer would be deleted and his way to the top would again be opened to him. The play had been in progress for 55 minutes. Reshevsky, scheduled to play black against Fischer, comfortably seated facing the latter’s empty chair, was killing time evaluating the other players’ moves on the demonstration boards. Another five minutes and the judge would declare Fischer to have lost by default.

And then suddenly, like a Jack-in-the-box. Fischer burst in, instantly filling the hall with his presence. It was a coup de theatre that laid prostrate two players: a dumbfounded Stein cut his game short by offering a draw and staggered out of the hall, while Reshevsky played like a beginner and got himself into a hopeless position after barely one hour of play. It was not the end of the uproar which during the next two days was to escalate to a climactic point. One side’s exhortations and the other side’s blandishments, including good offices from the U.S. Embassy officials in Tunis (“You represent the United Stateshere.:.” – “I only represent myself here!” followed by the slamming of a door), failed to bring about an agreement. As if after a thunderstorm, a bright and serene day dawned on Sousse: many a tournament player sudenly discovered that there was more than one beautiful blonde in the place.

Fischer withdrew from the tournament, and Stein’s (and Reshevsky’s) lost games were struck off the score sheet. The score was scratched out, but the game lived on. This game was judged by our panel to have been the best in the second half of 1967.

By A. Matanovic

Fischer – Stein [C 92]
Sousse (izt) 1967 – 4/336 (CI 4)

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Bb7 10.d4 Na5
[10...ed4 11.cd4 d5 12.e5 Ne4 13.Nc3 Na5 14.Bc2 f5 15.ef6 Bf6! unclear] 11.Bc2 Nc4 12.b3 Nb6 13.Nbd2 [13.de5 de5 14.Qd8 Rad8 15.Ne5 Ne4 16.Be4 Be4=] 13…Nbd7 14.b4! ed4 15.cd4 a5 16.ba5 c5 17.e5! [white stands slightly better] de5 18.de5 Nd5 19.Ne4 Nb4 [19...Ra5!?] 20.Bb1 Ra5 21.Qe2 Nb6?! 22.Nfg5!± Be4 [22...h6 23.Nh7! Re8 24.Nhf6! gf6 25.Qg4 Kh8 26.Bh6 Bf8 27.Bf8 Rf8 28.Nf6+-] 23.Qe4 g6 24.Qh4 h5 25.Qg3 Nc4!? 26.Nf3! [26.Ne6 Bh4!=] 26…Kg7 27.Qf4 Rh8 28.e6 f5 [28...f6 29.Nh4!+-] 29.Bf5! Qf8 [29...gf5 30.Qg3! Kh7 31.Ng5 Bg5 32.Bg5 Qe8 33.Rad1+-] 30.Be4 Qf4 31.Bf4 Re8 [31...Ra2 32.Rad1] 32.Rad1 Ra6 33.Rd7! Re6 34.Ng5 Rf6 35.Bf3!+- Rf4 36.Ne6 Kf6 37.Nf4 Ne5 38.Rb7 Bd6 39.Kf1 Nc2 40.Re4! Nd4 41.Rb6! Rd8 42.Nd5 Kf5 43.Ne3 Ke6 44.Be2 Kd7 45.Bb5 Nb5 46.Rb5 Kc6 47.a4 Bc7 48.Ke2 g5 49.g3 Ra8 50.Rb2 Rf8 51.f4 gf4 52.gf4 Nf7 53.Re6 Nd6 54.f5 Ra8 55.Rd2 Ra4 56.f6 [56.f6 Rf4 57.Nd5! Re4 58.Re4 Ne4 59.Nc7] 1-0

Fischer – Reshevsky [C 93]
Sousse (izt) 1967 – 4/346 (CI 4)

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 0-0 8.c3 d6 9.h3 h6 10.d4 Re8 11.Nbd2 Bf8 12.Nf1 Bd7 13.Ng3 Na5 14.Bc2 c5 15.b3 Nc6 16.Be3? cd4 17.cd4 Nb4? [17...ed4! 18.Nd4 d5!=] 18.Bb1± a5 19.a3 Na6 20.Bd3 Qc7 21.Qe2 Qb7 22.Rad1 g6 23.Qb2 Qb8 24.Bb1 Kh7?
[24...Bg7] 25.de5 de5 26.Ne5 Re5 27.Bf4 Qb7 28.Be5+- Ne8 29.Ne2 Nc5 30.Nf4 b4 31.a4 Bc6 32.Nd5 Nd7 33.Bd4 Ng7 34.Bd3 Ne6 35.Bc4 Re8 36.Bf6 Nec5 37.Qc2 Ne6 38.Ba1 Qa7 39.Kh1 Bg7 40.Bg7 Ng7 41.Bb5 Bb5 42.ab5 Rb8 43.Qc6 Ne8 44.e5 Nf8 45.Nf6 Nf6 46.ef6 Rb6 1-0

Methods A, B, C and D

I wonder if it is true that doubt is
the first step towards knowledge?

It is logically assumed that there is one strongest possible move in every position in a chess game, except when you can check-mate your opponent in two or five ways. In their quest for truth, chess players employ their knowledge and their specific view of chess. They are firm in their belief that their own style is the right one, the one that will bring them closest to the truth. Knowing what the aim of the game is, one may ask – whose style is the right one: Tal’s, Karpov’s, Fischer’s…?

The creative genius is no respecter of monuments: he does not build on; he starts from scratch. Fischer questioned everything – established truths as well as discarded speculations.

He delved into the heritage of past generations. Fischer was not looking only for the odd pearl that had rolled under the carpet. Every old chestnut came under his minute scrutiny. With the exception of the German Bilguer, who was the first to write a book on the theory of chess openings, all the other authors on the subject copied much of their material from one another, including mistakes which like a hereditary disease were handed down from one generation to the next.

Sitting: Fischer and Spassky
Standing: Tal and Polugaevsky
Havana (ol), 1966

Partly as a result of the awe in which a book is held as a source of truth, and partly because it is easier to learn than both learn and verify, a Fischer had to appear before the many dormant variants should come back to life. What was needed was a sharp and discerning eye, and the kind of patience and energy that move mountains.

He thus resurrected such variants as are described in the heaps of theoretical manuals as “… Black brings his game back on an even keel with any of the variations A, B, or C”. At the 1966 Chess Olympics in Havana, when Fischer first used such a variant, Portisch applied variation A, Gligoric variation B, and the Cuban Jimenez variation C. All three of them lost. Years have gone by, and the Havana Olympics are gradually falling into oblivion. But this particular series of wins I am not very likely to forget. Several years later, Unzicker tried variation D in the same position. Fischer’s win in that game was hailed to be the best in the eleventh volume of Chess Informant.

Fischer cleverly plays all kinds of positions: from the highly complex to the highly risky ones. No one has ever accused him of playing less well in certain positions, a charge that can be laid at virtually any chess player’s door. This is why so many people believe that it is his conception and his style that are the closest to the absolute truth in chess.

By A. Matanovic

Fischer – Portisch [C 69]
Havana (ol) 1966 – 2/235 (CI 2)

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bc6 dc6 5.0-0 f6 6.d4 ed4 7.Nd4 c5?! 8.Nb3 Qd1 9.Rd1 Bd6 [9...Bd7 10.Bf4! 0-0-0 11.Nc3±] 10.Na5!! b5 11.c4 Ne7 12.Be3± f5 13.Nc3 f4 14.e5 Be5 15.Bc5 Bc3 16.bc3 Ng6 17.Nc6 Be6 18.cb5 ab5 19.Na7 Rb8 20.Rdb1 Kf7 21.Nb5 Rhd8 22.Rb4 Ba2 23.Nc7 Rbc8 [23...Rb4 24.cb4 Rd2 25.b5+-] 24.h4! Rd2 25.Bb6 f3?!
[25...h5!?±] 26.Be3+- Re2 27.Nb5 Ra8 28.h5 Ne5 29.Rf4 Ke7 30.Rd1 Re8 31.Re4 Kf6 32.Rd6 Kf5 33.Rf4 Kg5 34.Rf3 1-0

Fischer – E. Jimenez [C 69]
Havana (ol) 1966 – 2/237 (CI 2)

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bc6 dc6 5.0-0 f6 6.d4 Bg4 [6...ed4 7.Nd4 Ne7 8.Nc3 Ng6 unclear] 7.c3! [7.de5 Qd1 8.Rd1 Bf3 9.gf3 fe5 10.f4
Nf6=] 7…ed4 8.cd4 Qd7?! [8...c5!? 9.d5 Bd6 10.Nbd2 Ne7 unclear] 9.h3 Bh5 10.Ne5 Bd1 11.Nd7 Kd7 [11...Be2 12.Re1 Kd7 white stands slightly better] 12.Rd1 Re8 13.f3 Ne7 14.Nc3 Kc8 15.Be3 f5 16.Rac1 fe4 17.fe4 g6 18.Bf4 Bg7 19.d5!+- Rd8 20.Na4 Rhf8 21.g3 g5 22.Bg5 Rf7 23.Kg2 cd5 24.ed5 Kb8 25.Re1 Bf8 26.Rf1! Rg7 27.Bf6 Rg8 28.Rce1 Rd7 29.d6 cd6 30.Be7 Be7 31.Rf7 1-0

Fischer – Gligoric [C 69]
Havana (ol) 1966 – 2/236 (CI 2)

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bc6 dc6 5.0-0 f6
[5...Bg4?! 6.h3 h5 7.d4! Bf3! 8.Qf3 ed4 9.c3 with compensation for the material] 6.d4 Bg4
[6...ed4 7.Nd4 c5 8.Nb3 Qd1 9.Rd1 Bd6 10.Na5!±] 7.c3! ed4 8.cd4 Qd7?! [8...c5 9.d5 Bd6 white stands slightly better] 9.h3 Be6 [9...Bh5 10.Ne5 white stands slightly better] 10.Nc3± 0-0-0 11.Bf4 Ne7 12.Rc1 Ng6 13.Bg3 Bd6 14.Na4!± Bg3 15.fg3 Kb8 16.Nc5 Qd6 17.Qa4 Ka7?? [17...Bc8±] 18.Na6+- Bh3 19.e5 Ne5 20.de5 fe5 21.Nc5 Kb8 22.gh3 e4 23.Ne4 Qe7 24.Rc3 b5 25.Qc2 1-0

Fischer – Unzicker [C 69]
Siegen (ol) 1970 – 11/221 (CI 11)

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Bc6 dc6 5.0-0 f6
[5...Bg4!?] 6.d4 ed4 7.Nd4 Ne7 8.Be3 Ng6 9.Nd2!Bd6 10.Nc4 0-0 11.Qd3! [white stands slightly better] Ne5 12.Ne5 Be5 [12...fe5 13.Qb3 Kh8 14.Ne6 Be6 15.Qe6±] 13.f4! Bd6 [13...Bd4 14.Bd4±] 14.f5 Qe7 15.Bf4 Bf4 16.Rf4 Bd7 17.Re1 Qc5 18.c3 Rae8 19.g4 Qd6 20.Qg3 Re7?! [20...c5!?] 21.Nf3 c5 22.e5!!± fe5 23.Rfe4 Bc6 24.Re5 Rfe8 25.Re7 Re7 26.Ne5 h6 27.h4 Bd7 28.Qf4 Qf6 29.Re2!! Bc8 [29...Qh4? 30.Ng6] 30.Qc4 Kh7 31.Ng6 Re2 32.Qe2+- Bd7 33.Qe7 Qe7 34.Ne7 g5 35.hg5 hg5 36.Nd5! Bc6 37.Nc7 Bf3 38.Ne8 Kh6 39.Nf6 Kg7 40.Kf2 Bd1 41.Nd7! c4 [41...Bg4 42.f6 Kg8 43.f7!+-] 42.Kg3 1-0

Historic meeting
The first game ever played between
world champion Botvinnik and Bobby Fischer
was during the 15th Olympiad at Varna, 1962

Kasparov, Garry Kimovich

One of the best chess player of the 20th century, selected by the readers of Chess Informant
Birth: Apr 13, 1963 Baku, Azerbaidzhan, USSR Nationality: RUS – Russia Titles: GM – International Grandmaster International Master, 1979. International Grandmaster, 1980. World Junior Champion, 1980. USSR Champion, 1981, 1988. World Champion, 1985-1997. Braingames Champion, 1997-2000.
*The most important results:*
1982 Moscow (izt) 1st 1983 Moscow (mct) defeated Beliavsky and Korchnoi 1983 London (mct) Kasparov-Korchnoi 7:4 1984 Vilnius (mct) defeated Smyslov 1984/85 Moscow (wch-m), Karpov-Kasparov 25:23 1985 Moscow (wch-m), Kasparov-Karpov 13:11 1986 London / Leningrad (wch-m), Kasparov-Karpov 12,5:11,5 1987 Sevilla (wch-m), Kasparov-Karpov 12:12 1989 won at Barcelona, Skelleftea, Tilburg and Belgrade 1990 Lyon / New York (wch-m), Kasparov-Karpov 12,5:11,5 1990 Linares 1st 1991 Tilburg 1st 1992 won at Paris 1993 won at Linares 1995 won at Riga and Novgorod 1996 Amsterdam 1-2 1996 Las Palmas 1st 1997 Linares 1st 1999 Wijk aan Zee 1st 1999 Sarajevo 1st 2000 Wijk aan Zee 1st 2000 Linares 1-2 2000 Sarajevo 1st 2000 London Kasparov-Kramnik 6,5:8,5 2001 Linares 1st	Karpov-Kasparov, 1985

Corrections put right It is not luck; it is something else disguised as luck
Cartoon by J. Prokopljevic	In the interval between the second and the third encounter between Karpov and Korchnoi, at Baguio and Meran respectively, the youngest participant in the Banja Luka tournament secured the top position for himself five rounds before its end. Botvinnik sounded the warning: “His name is Garry Kasparov.”
The bearer of this name swore by Botvinnik but admired Fischer. Fischer played chess in a swimming-pool, picked up errors in the games played in the last century, removed from his life everything other than chess. Kasparov corrected Fischer’s rectifications of Botvinnik’s analyses; he also argued that being short of a pawn was actually an advantage and that there are no opening variants that could not be made stronger. He possessed an inquiring mind and energy which he placed in the service of a universal order on the chess board and in the chess world. Most professional chess players think of their wives and children before they plunge into an adventure on the chess board. For Kasparov no such risks were entertained. Najdorf said: “When Tal offers a sacrifice, take it first, then verify; when Petrossian does so, resign.” To paraphrase him, when Kasparov offers a gambit, first verify, then resign. Both risk and sacrifices, as well as an accurate calculation, require acute intuition. Your intuition will not function unless you are prepared to take a risk, to make a bad move. If you never allow yourself flights of whimsy, your playful hand will grow awkward and heavy. After all, why not risk an occasional error? Your choice is between an occasional error or perennial time pressure.
A player is threatened by a clock when a player uses a microscope for his first twenty or so moves, and then a telescope for the next twenty. Mistakes deflect you from your path to the truth, and they are counterbalanced by other lesser or different mistakes. Garry Kasparov has an uncanny intuition, seldom gets into time pressure, and makes mistakes less frequently than others. That is why he is a champion.	Cartoon by J. Prokopljevic
The world championship match between Karpov and Kasparov in 1984/85 made chess history: after five months of play and 48 games, the match ended without a winner. Karpov quickly won four games, later a fifth one, but then in the course of the next two and half months, he failed to cross his last, the sixth hurdle. Three months elapsed before he lost his first game, but soon afterwards he lost another two in a row. A trained eye could recognize in the second half of the match a much chastened and prudent Kasparov. Karpov for his part displayed in the first half of the match all the brilliant characteristics of his style. But who was Kasparov’s opponent in the second period? Not Karpov, it would seem! After a promising start, Karpov decided to lean back and wait. Time would help him finish the job, and in due course, Kasparov would fall into his lap like a ripe pear.
Kasparov-Short, 1993	It was an excellent opportunity to administer a salutary lesson to the man who in all probability would be his challenger once again. The humiliating 6-to-nil score would not be forgotten by the time the next match came to be played. Karpov was now on his guard, his breathing slowed.
A period ensued when medical prognoses counted for more than the predictions of chess experts. But in Karpov’s case it was the great psychological strain that was hardest to bear: all he needed was just one more win, just one more step to the goal – oh, when was this match going to come to an end! What Kasparov was afraid of was a quick ending: it suited him to go on playing for another five months! By A. Matanovic
Kasparov – L. Portisch [E 12] Niksic 1983 – 36/608 (CI 36) 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.Nc3 Bb7 5.a3 d5 6.cd5 Nd5 7.e3 Nc3 8.bc3 Be7 9.Bb5 c6 10.Bd3 c5 11.0-0 Nc6 12.Bb2 Rc8 13.Qe2 0-0 14.Rad1 Qc7?! [14...cd4] 15.c4! cd4 16.ed4 Na5 17.d5! ed5 [17...Nc4 18.Qe4! g6 19.Bc4 Qc4 20.Qe5 f6 21.Qe6 Rf7 22.Rc1 Qa6 23.d6 Rc1 24.Rc1 Bd8 25.Ng5! fg5 26.Rc7!! Bc7 27.Qe8 Rf8 28.Qe5+- Kasparov] 18.cd5 Bd5 19.Bh7 Kh7 20.Rd5 Kg8 [20...Qc2 21.Rd2! Qc5 22.Ne5!+-] 21.Bg7!! Kg7 22.Ne5! Rfd8 [22...f5 23.Rd7 Qc5 24.Nd3+-; 22...Rcd8 23.Qg4 Kh7 24.Nd7!+-; 22...Qc2 23.Qg4 Kh7 24.Rd3 Rc6 25.Qf5!+-; 22...Rh8 23.Qg4 Kf8 24.Qf5 f6 25.Re1 Nc6 (25...Qc1 26.Rdd1+-) 26.Nd7 Kf7 27.Re7!+- Kasparov] 23.Qg4 Kf8 24.Qf5! f6 [24...Bd6 25.Qf6! A) 25...Kg8 26.Qg5 Kf8 27.Qh6 Kg8(27...Ke8 28.Re1+-) 28.Ng4! Bh2 29.Kh1+-; B) 25...Nc4 26.Ng6 Ke8 27.Re1 Kd7 28.Re7 Kc6 29.Rc7 Kc7 30.Qf7 Kb8 31.h4+- Kasparov] 25.Nd7 Rd7 26.Rd7 Qc5 27.Qh7 Rc7 28.Qh8! Kf7 29.Rd3 Nc4 30.Rfd1! Ne5? [30...Bd6! 31.Rd5! Qc6 (31...Qa3? 32.Rd6! Nd6 33.Qh7+-) 32.h4±] 31.Qh7 Ke6 32.Qg8 Kf5 33.g4! Kf4 34.Rd4 Kf3 35.Qb3 [35.Qb3 Qc3 36.Qd5+-] 1-0 Kasparov – Karpov [D 55] London/Leningrad 1986 – 42/575 (CI 42) 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Be7 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bf6 Bf6 7.e3 0-0 8.Rc1 c6 9.Bd3 Nd7 10.0-0 dc4 11.Bc4 e5 12.h3 ed4 13.ed4 Nb6 14.Bb3 Bf5 15.Re1 a5 16.a3 Re8 17.Re8 Qe8 18.Qd2 Nd7!? [18...a4 19.Ba2 Qd7] 19.Qf4! [19.Re1 Qb8!=] 19…Bg6 20.h4! [20.Re1 Qd8 21.Na4 Bh5!] 20…Qd8 21.Na4 h5! [21...Bh5? 22.g4 Bg6 23.h5 Bh7 24.Ne5+-; 21...Qb8?! 22.Qg4 Nf8 23.h5 Bh7 24.Nc5± Kasparov] 22.Re1 b5!? [22...Qb8 23.Qe3 (23.Ne5 Be5 24.de5 b5!) 23...Qd6 24.Nc3 white stands slightly better] 23.Nc3 Qb8 24.Qe3! b4 [24...a4 25.Ba2 b4 26.Ne4 ba3 27.ba3 white stands slightly better] 25.Ne4 ba3 [25...Be4? 26.Qe4± ba3?! 27.Qc6! ab2 28.Qd5!+-] 26.Nf6 Nf6 27.ba3 Nd5! [27...Ng4?! 28.Qc3 Qd6 29.Ne5 (29.g3!?±) 29...Re8 30.g3! Qf6 31.Re2±] 28.Bd5 cd5 29.Ne5 Qd8! [29...Qd6 30.Rc1!±] 30.Qf3 Ra6 [30...Rc8!?] 31.Rc1 Kh7?! [31...Qh4!? 32.Qd5 Kh7 33.Nf3 Qg4 34.Ng5 Kh6 35.Nf7 Bf7 36.Qf7 Rf6 37.Qc4 Rg6 38.g3! h4 39.Rc3! white stands slightly better] 32.Qh3! Rb6 [32...Re6 33.Rc5±] 33.Rc8 Qd6 34.Qg3 a4? [34...Qe6 35.Rc5±; 34...Rb1 35.Kh2 Qa6 36.Re8! Qb5 37.Ra8!±] 35.Ra8! Qe6! [35...Ra6 36.Nf7! Bf7 37.Qd3+-; 35...Rb3 36.Rh8! Kh8 37.Nf7+-] 36.Ra4 [36.Qg5 Ra6!] 36…Qf5 37.Ra7! Rb1 38.Kh2 Rc1 [38...Rb2 39.Nf3! f6 40.Qc7+-] 39.Rb7 Rc2 40.f3 Rd2 41.Nd7!! Rd4 42.Nf8 Kh6 43.Rb4!! Rc4 [43...Rb4 44.ab4 d4 45.b5 d3 46.b6 d2 47.b7 d1Q 48.b8Q Qc1 49.Ng6 Qg6 50.Qh8 Qh7 51.Qgg7; 43...Rd1 44.Rb8 Bh7 45.Qg5 Qg5 46.hg5 Kg5 47.Nh7+-; 43...Rd3 44.a4! Re3 45.Rb8 Bh7 (45...Qe5 46.Qe5 Re5 47.Nd7 Re7 48.Rh8 Bh7 49.Nf8+-) 46.Qg5 Qg5 47.hg5 Kg5 48.Nh7+- Kasparov] 44.Rc4 dc4 45.Qd6! c3 46.Qd4 [46.! Qd4 Bh7 47.Qc3 Bg8 (47...g5 48.Qe3 f6 49.hg5 fg5 50.Nh7 Kh7 51.Qe4+-) 48.Qe3 g5 49.Qg5 Qg5 50.hg5 Kg5 51.a4 f5 52.a5 Bc4 53.Nd7 Kf4 54.Nc5 Ke5 55.a6 Kd6 56.a7 Bd5 57.Nd3 Kc7 58.Nf4+- Kasparov] 1-0 Karpov – Kasparov [E 86] Linares 1993 – 57/576 (CI 57) 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f3 0-0 6.Be3 e5 7.Nge2 Nbd7 8.Qd2 c6 9.Rd1 a6 10.de5 Ne5! 11.b3 b5! 12.cb5 ab5 13.Qd6 Nfd7 14.f4?! [14.Qd2!?; 14.a4!?] b4! 15.Nb1? [15.fe5! bc3 16.Nc3 (16.e6 fe6 17.Qe6 Kh8-+) 16...Be5 17.Qc6 Bc3 18.Qc3 Qh4 19.Kd2! Ra2 20.Kc1 Nf6! 21.Kb1 Ra8! black stands slightly better Kasparov] 15…Ng4 16.Bd4 [16.Bg1!? Ta2 17.h3 Dh4 18.g3 Te2 19.Ke2 Dg3 20.Dd3 (20.Td3 Dh4!; 20.hg4 Sf6 21.Dd3 Lg4 22.Kd2 Se4) Df4 21.hg4 Se5 22.De3 Dg4 23.Ke1 Sf3 24. Kf2 Sg1 25.Td2 Lf6 black has the upper hand Kasparov]16…Bd4 17.Qd4 Ra2 18.h3 c5 19.Qg1 [19.Qd3 Ba6 20.Qf3 (20.Qd7 Qh4 21.g3 Re2 22.Be2 Qg3 23.Kd2 Qe3 24. Kc2 Qe2-+) 20...Nde5 21.fe5 Ne5 with compensation for the material] 19…Ngf6 20.e5 Ne4 21.h4?! [21.Qe3 black has the upper hand] 21…c4! 22.Nc1 c3!! 23.Na2 c2 24.Qd4 cd1Q 25.Kd1 Ndc5! 26.Qd8 Rd8 27.Kc2 Nf2 0-1 Anand-Kasparov, 1995 Kasparov – Shirov [B 33] Horgen 1994 – 61/178 (CI 61) 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cd4 4.Nd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Ndb5 d6 7.Bf4 e5 8.Bg5 a6 9.Na3 b5 10.Nd5 Be7 11.Bf6 Bf6 12.c3 Bb7 13.Nc2 Nb8 [13...Ne7 14.Nf6 gf6 15.Bd3 white stands slightly better; 13... 0-0 14.h4!?] 14.a4 ba4 15.Ra4 Nd7 16.Rb4!? Nc5?! [16...Bc6?! 17.Rc4! Bd5 18.Qd5 0-0 19.Rc6±; 16...Rb8!?] 17.Rb7!! Nb7 18.b4 Bg5 [18...0-0 19.Nce3] 19.Na3! 0-0 20.Nc4 a5 [20...f5 21.Bd3 f4 22.Qg4±] 21.Bd3 ab4 22.cb4 Qb8 [22...Bh6!? 23.0-0 Qg5] 23.h4! Bh6 [23...Bd8 24.g3 Qa7 25. 0-0 Qd4 26.Qb3±] 24.Ncb6 Ra2 25.0-0 Rd2 26.Qf3 Qa7 27.Nd7 [27.Bb5! Nd8 28.Nd7 Ne6 29.Ne7! Kh8 30.Nf8 Qe7 31.Ne6 Qe6 32.Bc6 white stands slightly better] 27…Nd8? [27...Ra8! 28.N7b6! Rf8! 29.Bb5! white stands slightly better] 28.Nf8 Kf8 29.b5! Qa3 [29...Qd4! 30.Rd1! (30.Qf5 Ke8) 30...Rd1 31.Qd1 white has the upper hand] 30.Qf5! Ke8 [30...Rd3 31.Qd7+-] 31.Bc4 Rc2 [31.Qc5 32.Qh7! Kd7 33.Qf5 Ke8 34.Bb3 Rb2 35.Bd1+-] 32.Qh7! Rc4 33.Qg8 Kd7 34.Nb6 Ke7 35.Nc4 Qc5 36.Ra1! Qd4 37.Ra3! Bc1 38.Ne3! 1-0 Kasparov – Anand [C 80] New York 1995 – 64/315 (CI 64) 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Ne4 6.d4 b5 7.Bb3 d5 8.de5 Be6 9.Nbd2 Nc5 10.c3 d4 11.Ng5 dc3 12.Ne6 fe6 13.bc3 Qd3 14.Bc2! Qc3 15.Nb3!! Nb3 [15...Rd8!? 16.Bd2 Rd2! (16...Qe5? 17.Qg4! with initiative) 17.Nd2 white stands slightly better] 16.Bb3 Nd4?! [16...Qa1 17.Qh5 A) 17...Kd7? 18.Be6! Ke6 19.Qg4! Kf7 20.Qf3 Ke6 21.Qc6 Bd6 22.ed6 Qe5 23.Bd2! Qd6 24.Re1 Kf7 25.Qf3 Kg6 (25...Qf6 26.Qd5 Kg6 27.Re6+-) 26.Qg4! Kf7 27.Bc3!+-; B) 17...g6 18.Qf3 Nd8 19.Qf6 white has the upper hand Kasparov] 17.Qg4!! Qa1 18.Be6! Rd8 [18...Be7 19.Bg5 Qc3 (19...h5 20.Qe4+-) 20.Bd7 Kf7 21.e6 (Kf8 22.Qh5 g6 23.Qh6! Kg8 24.Be7 Nf5 25.Qf4+-; 18...Qc3!?] 19.Bh6!! Qc3 [19...Qb2 20.Bg7 Qe2 21.Bh8 Qg4 22.Bg4+-; 19...Qf1 20.Kf1 g6 21.Be3 Bc5 22.Bb3! (22.Bc8? 0-0!) 22...Nb3 (22...Rf8 23.Bd4+-) 23.Qe6 Be7 24.ab3+- Kasparov] 20.Bg7 Qd3 21.Bh8! Qg6 [21...Ne2 22.Kh1 Ng3 23.hg3 Qf1 24.Kh2 Qd3 (24...Qf2 25.Bf6+-; 24...Rd1 25.Qh5+-) 25.Bf5 Qc4 26.f4+-] 22.Bf6 Be7 23.Be7 Qg4 [23...Ke7 24.Qh4 Ke8 25.Bg4+-] 24.Bg4 Ke7 25.Rc1!+- c6 26.f4 a5 27.Kf2 a4 28.Ke3 b4 29.Bd1! a3 30.g4 Rd5 31.Rc4 c5 [31...Ne6 32.Bb3 Nc5 33.Bc2! (33.Rb4?? Rd3 34.Ke2 Rb3-+) 33...b3 34.Bb3 Rd3 35.Ke2 Rb3 36.Rc5] 32.Ke4 Rd8 33.Rc5 Ne6 34.Rd5 Rc8 35.f5 Rc4 36.Ke3 Nc5 37.g5 Rc1 38.Rd6 [38.Rd6 b3 39.f6 Kf8 40.Bh5 Re1 41.Kf3 Nb7 42.Ra6] 1-0 Kasparov – Topalov [B 07] Wijk aan Zee 1999 – 74/110 (CI 74) 1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.Be3 Bg7 5.Qd2 c6 6.f3 b5 7.Nge2 Nbd7 8.Bh6 Bh6 9.Qh6 Bb7 10.a3 [10.Nc1] 10…e5 11.0-0-0 Qe7 12.Kb1 a6 13.Nc1 0-0-0 14.Nb3 ed4! 15.Rd4 c5 16.Rd1 Nb6! 17.g3 Kb8 18.Na5 Ba8 19.Bh3 d5 20.Qf4 Ka7 21.Rhe1 d4 22.Nd5 [22.Na2 Rhe8 unclear] 22…Nbd5 23.ed5 Qd6 24.Rd4!! cd4? [24...Kb6! 25.Nb3! Bd5! 26.Qd6 Rd6 27.Rd2 Rhd8 28.Red1= Kasparov] 25.Re7! Kb6 [25...Kb8 26.Qd4! Nd7 27.Bd7 Bd5 28.c4! Qe7 29.Qb6 Ka8 30.Qa6 Kb8 31.Qb6 Ka8 32.Bc6! Bc6 33.Nc6+- Kasparov] 26.Qd4 Ka5 [26...Qc5 27.Qf6 Qd6 28.Be6!! Bd5 (28...Rhe8 29.b4!+-) 29.b4! Ba8 30.Qf7 Qd1 31.Kb2 Qf3 32.Bf5+-] 27.b4 Ka4 28.Qc3 [28.Ra7! Bb7 29.Rb7 Qd5 30.Rb6 a5 31.Ra6 Ra8 32.Qe3!! Ra6 33.Kb2 ab4 34.ab4 Qa2 35.Ka2 Kb4 36.Kb2 Rc6 37.Bf1 Ra8 38.Qe7 Ka5 39.Qb7+- Kasparov] 28…Qd5 [28...Bd5 29.Kb2+-] 29.Ra7! Bb7 30.Rb7 Qc4 [30...Rd6 31.Rb6!!+-; 30...Rhe8! 31.Rb6 Ra8 32.Bf1!! A) 32...Red8 33.Rc6! Nh5 (33...Nd7 34.Rd6!) 34.Rc5 Rac8 35.Kb2!+-; B) 32...Nd7 33.Rd6! Rec8 34.Qb2+-; C) 32...Re6 33.Re6 fe6 34.Kb2+-; D) 32...Re1! 33.Qe1 Nd7 34.Rb7!! Qb7 (34...Ne5 35.Qc3 Qf3 36.Bd3 Qd5 37.Be4+-) 35.Qd1! Ka3 36.c3+-; 30...Ne4! 31.fe4 Qc4 32.Ra7!! Rd1 (32...Ra8 33.Qe3+-) 33.Kb2 Qc3 34.Kc3 Rd6 35.e5 Rb6 36.Kb2 Re8 37.Bg2! Rd8 (37...Re5 38.Bb7+-) 38.Bb7 Rd7 39.Bc6!! Rd8 (39...Rd2 40.Be8+-) 40.Bd7+- Kasparov] 31.Qf6 Ka3 [31...Rd1! 32.Kb2 Ra8 33.Qb6! Qd4 (33...a5 34.Bd7+-) 34.Qd4 Rd4 35.Rf7 a5 36.Be6 ab4 37.Bb3 Ka5 38.ab4 Kb6 (38...Rb4 39.c3+-) 39.Rh7 Rc8 40.h4+-] 32.Qa6 Kb4 33.c3! Kc3 34.Qa1 Kd2 [34...Kb4 35.Qb2 Ka5 36.Qa3 Qa4 37.Ra7+-] 35.Qb2 Kd1 36.Bf1! Rd2 37.Rd7! Rd7 38.Bc4 bc4 39.Qh8 Rd3 40.Qa8 c3 41.Qa4 Ke1 42.f4 f5 43.Kc1 Rd2 44.Qa7 1-0 Kasparov-Smyslov, 1983

Alekhine, Alexander Alexandrovich

One of the best chess player of the 20th century, selected by the readers of Chess Informant
Birth: Oct 31, 1892 Moscow, Russia. Death: Mar 24, 1946 Estoril, Portugal. Nationality: Russian. Biographical data: Russian player. Russian Champion, 1909, 1914, 1920. World Champion, 1927-1935, 1937-1946.
*The most important results:*
1912 Petersburg 1st 1914 Petersburg 3rd 1918 Moscow 1st 1919 Moscow 1st 1920 Moscow 1st 1921 Budapest 1st 1921 The Hague 1st 1922 Hastings 1st 1924 New York 3rd 1925 Bern 1st 1927 New York 2nd 1927 Buenos Aires (m), Capablanca 18,5:15,5 1927 Kecskemet 1st 1929 Wiesbaden (m), Bogoljubov 15,5:9,5 1929 Venice 1st 1930 San Remo 1st 1931 Bled 1st 1932 London 1st 1932 Bern 1st 1932 Pasadena 1st 1933 Paris (m), Bernstein 2:2 1934 Zurich 1st 1934 Rotterdam 1st 1934 Baden-Baden (m), Bogoljubov 15,5:10,5 1935 Netherlands (m), Euwe 14,5:15,5 1936 Dresden 1st 1936 Podebrady 2nd 1937 Netherlands (m), Euwe 15,5:9,5 1937 Netherlands (m), Euwe 2:3 1938 Margate 1st
Sidelights on Alekhine
	In 1940 Alekhine told some intimates that he would not mind losing his title to a master of the younger generation – Keres, Botvinnik – but he did not want to lose it to a player of his own generation. “I dominate them all!”
In tournaments Alekhine analyzed his adjourned games for hours and hours: during his meals, in bed or on a pocket set, and mentally while he was walking. Alekhine unlike Lasker and Capablanca really loved chess. He read everything which appeared on the game and was au courant with the smallest analysis ever written by a tyro in some unknown periodical. Alekhine was no churchgoer. But he believed profoundly in the immortality of the soul, especially of his own. “I cannot conceive that nothing should be left of me after my death….” Alekhine’s culture and intelligence were extraordinary. He was an exceptionally well-read man and had really fluent command of about ten different languages.
Alekhine’s partiality for alcohol caused his downfall. After his blindfold displays he would drink brandy in ordinary tumblerfuls. It is no secret that he played through some team tournaments in a glaring state of intoxication and he would agree to a draw, before playing, against all dangerous opponents in these event Alekhine was admired by all for his marvelous genius, but his character was unfortunately not up to his intelligence.
He had innumerable acquaintances all over the world but few real friends. His selfishness and his oblivion of services rendered stunted all sympathy. By Thomas Olsen
	“The creative achievements of Alekhine, a truly great chess artist, will live for decades. Replaying his games, chess players will gain real aesthetic pleasure admiring the strength of his genius” M. Botvinnik

Capablanca – Alekhine [D 63] Buenos Aires (m/21) 1927 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Nbd7 5.e3 Be7 6.Nf3 0-0 7.Rc1 a6 8.a3 h6! 9.Bh4 dc4! 10.Bc4 b5 11.Be2 Bb7 12.0-0 c5 13.dc5 Nc5 14.Nd4 Rc8 15.b4? [weak point c4] [15.Bf3 Qb6 16.Qe2= Alekhine] 15…Ncd7 16.Bg3? [16.Bf3! Qb6 (16...Bf3 17.Qf3 Ne5 18.Qb7 white has the upper hand) 17.Ne4= (Bogoljubov) 17...Rc1 18.Qc1 Rc8 19.Qd1 (19.Qb1? Ne4!-+; 19.Qd2? Ne4!-+; 19.Qb2 g5 20.Nf6 Bf6 black has the upper hand; 19.Qe1 g5 black has the upper hand) 19...g5 (black has the upper hand) Alekhine] 16…Nb6 17.Qb3 Nfd5 18.Bf3 Rc4! 19.Ne4 [19.Be2 Rc3 20.Rc3 Nc3 21.Qc3 Qd7 (black has the upper hand) Capablanca] 19…Qc8 20.Rc4? [20.Qb1! Rd8 21.Nd2 Rc1 22.Rc1 Qa8 23.Bc7 Alekhine] 20…Nc4 21.Rc1 Qa8! [black has the upper hand] 22.Nc3 Rc8 23.Nd5 Bd5 24.Bd5 Qd5 25.a4 Bf6!-+ 26.Nf3 Bb2! 27.Re1 Rd8 28.ab5 ab5 29.h3 e5! 30.Rb1 e4! 31.Nd4?! Bd4 32.Rd1? Ne3! 0-1 Capablanca and Alekhine, Buenos Aires, 1927 Alekhine – Lasker [D 67] Zurich 1934 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 Be7 5.Bg5 Nbd7 6.e3 0-0 7.Rc1 c6 8.Bd3 dc4 9.Bc4 Nd5 10.Be7 Qe7 11.Ne4 N5f6 12.Ng3 e5 13.0-0 ed4 14.Nf5 [14.ed4! Nb6 15.Re1 Qd6 16.Bb3 Bg4 17.h3 Bf3 18.Qf3 (white has the upper hand) Alekhine] 14…Qd8 15.N3d4 Ne5 16.Bb3 Bf5 17.Nf5 Qb6? [17...g6!] 18.Qd6 Ned7 [18...Ng6 19.Nh6 gh6 20.Qf6 Qd8 21.Qc3 (white has the upper hand) Alekhine] 19.Rfd1 Rad8 20.Qg3 g6 21.Qg5 Kh8 22.Nd6 Kg7 23.e4 Ng8 24.Rd3 f6 [24...h6 25.Nf5 Kh7 26.Nh6 f6 27.Nf5! fg5 28.Rh3+- Kotov] 25.Nf5 Kh8 26.Qg6 1-0 Alekhine – Reshevsky [B 05] Kemeri 1937 1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.Nf3 Bg4 5.c4 Nb6 6.Be2 de5 7.Ne5 Be2 8.Qe2 Qd4 9.0-0 [9.Na3! N8d7 10.Nf3 ; 9...e6 10.Nc2 Alekhine] 9…N8d7 10.Nd7 Nd7 11.Nc3 c6 12.Be3 Qe5 13.Rad1 e6 14.Qf3! 0-0-0 [14...Be7 15.Rd7! Kd7 16.Qf7 (white has the upper hand) Alekhine] 15.Ba7 Qa5 16.Bd4 Qf5 17.Qg3 [17.Qf5! (white has the upper hand) Alekhine] 17…e5 18.Be3 Bb4 19.Na4 Ba5 20.f4 Bc7 21.b3 f6 22.fe5 Qe6 23.h3! Rhg8 24.Bd4 Ne5 [24...fe5!? 25.Qe3 e4 26.c5 Rde8 (white stands slightly better) Alekhine] 25.Qc3 Nd7 26.c5 Rge8 27.b4 Nb8 28.Nb6 Bb6 29.cb6 Qa2 30.Qg3 Rd7 [30...Qf7 31.Ra1! Rd4 32.Ra8 Re5 33.Qe5+- Alekhine] 31.Bc5 Qf7 32.Ra1 Qg6 33.Qh2 Re5 34.Ra8 Rd2 [34...Qe8 35.Qg3 with the idea Qa3+-] 35.Rb8 Kb8 36.Qe5 1-0 Alekhine and Euwe, Netherlands, 1937 Alekhine – Euwe [E 34] Netherlands (m/8) 1937 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 d5 5.cd5 Qd5 6.e3 c5 7.a3 Bc3 8.bc3 Nbd7 [8...cd4 9.cd4 b6=] 9.f3 cd4? [9...Qc6 10.Bd3 e5= Botvinnik] 10.cd4 Nb6 11.Ne2 Bd7 12.Nf4 Qd6 13.Bd2 [white stands slightly better] 13…Rc8 14.Qb2 Nfd5 15.Nd5 ed5 16.Bb4 Qe6 17.Kf2 Na4? [17...f5!? 18.Bc5 Kf7= Botvinnik] 18.Qd2 b6 19.Ba6! Rb8 20.e4 b5 [20...f6 21.ed5 Qd5 22.Qe2 Qe6 23.Rhe1 Qe2 24.Re2 Kd8 25.Be7 Kc7 26.Rc1+- Alekhine] 21.Qf4 Rb6 22.ed5 Qd5 23.Rhe1 Be6 24.Rac1 f6 25.Rc7 Kd8 26.Ra7 1-0 Euwe and Alekhine, 1935