russian pronounced october october march russian french chess player fourth world chess champion widely considered greatest chess players age strongest chess players world 1920s won tournaments played left soviet russia emigrated france represented fourth world chess champion defeating early 1930s dominated tournament play won class tournaments large margins played board france chess winning individual prizes medals prize offered rematch demanding terms set negotiations dragged years making progress defended title ease defeated regained crown rematch tournament record remained uneven rising young stars like threatened title negotiations title match halted outbreak world war europe negotiations world title match proceeding died portugal unclear circumstances world chess champion die holding title known fierce imaginative attacking style combined great skill highly regarded chess writer producing innovations wide range chess openings giving opening variations composed studies biography early life born wealthy family moscow russia october father landowner conservative legislative fourth mother born daughter rich industrialist introduced chess mother older brother older sister barbara early chess career known game correspondence chess tournament began december years old participated correspondence tournaments sponsored chess magazine chess review played board tournament moscow chess club later year tied 11th 13th club older brother tied 4th 6th place alexander won club age won russian amateur tournament saint_petersburg years played increasingly stronger tournaments outside russia mixed results age established russia players played board friendly team matches moscow drew end moved entered nobles strongest chess player march won winter tournament april won 1st category tournament january won major russian tournament tied place russian masters tournament drew mini match prize won game played matches period results showed pattern mixed later consistently good level april major chess tournament held capital russian_empire took place accounts conferred title chess finalists chess historian questioned stating earliest known sources supporting story article june issue new_yorker marshall autobiography years chess surprising success contender title formally awarded thanks performance right eyes audience july tied marshall paris world war post revolutionary russia july august leading international tournament 19th germany wins draw loss world war broke prize marks worth terms purchasing power today declaration war russia russian players interned germany september freed allowed return home way russia switzerland italy london sweden finland end october fifth player released sixth allowed return warsaw returned russia helped raise money aid russian chess players remained interned germany giving simultaneous exhibitions december won april won mini match wins loss summer served austrian september played people display russian military hospital won triangular tournament moscow june following year russians forced german army retreat ukraine charged links white counter intelligence briefly imprisoned death cell rumors appeared west killed conditions russia settled proved russia strongest players example january swept moscow city chess championship declared moscow champion resident city october won russian championship moscow tournament defined ussr championship brother took place tournament march married divorced year short time worked interpreter appointed secretary capacity met swiss journalist delegate thirteen years older married march shortly given permission leave russia visit west wife returned june abandoned second wife paris went berlin played seven mini matches won moscow drew won berlin won paris madrid won paris won shared prize thirds tournaments played successful efforts tie place vienna place new_york chess tournament champion world champion ahead technically play better competitors lacked confidence playing major rivals main goal period arrange match thought greatest obstacle play requirement london rules insistence challenger raise purse equivalent defending champion receive half defeated november challenged unable raise raising money preliminary objective went tour playing simultaneous exhibitions modest fees day day new_york april broke world record simultaneous play played opponents previous record set winning sixteen games losing drawing hours play broke world record february playing games simultaneously paris winning drawing losing applied time residence privilege france french citizenship pursuing studies faculty law obtain phd sources differ completed studies known 1930s thesis chinese prison system received degree law saint_petersburg practiced french citizenship application postponed frequent travels abroad play chess reported april shortly arrival france charged soviets special mission france later asked intervene favor lead french team nation tournament held london july wait new law published august decree granting french citizenship hundreds citizens signed november published official gazette french republic november playing world title buenos_aires october won buenos_aires december january beat max match married wife née older woman widow russian general reign title match challenge backed group argentine businessmen president argentina guaranteed funds organized buenos_aires world chess championship match played september november buenos_aires won title scoring longest formal match contest victory surprised entire chess world previously won single game death expressed surprise victory think superior suggested entered match technical physical preparation got good physical condition thoroughly studied play according research uncovered small occurred unwilling concentrate intensely commented contest easy wins rematch offered finalized immediately winning match announced willing return match terms required champion challenger provide stake half defending champion defeated negotiations dragged years breaking agreement sight relationship bitter demanded higher appearance fees tournaments played rematch took place death wrote demand stake attempt avoid challenges wrote consciously sought lesser opponents subsequent championship matches chance twice title matches agreed terms rematch played world title matches official challenger winning times held berlin amsterdam september november retained title scoring april june faced title match held german cities defeating games years old past peak anti statements controversy world championship match returned paris spoke president published official memorandum stating regarded enemy soviets broke contact end 1930s older brother close relationship publicly anti soviet shortly little choice decision august murdered russia probably open support nazis dominates rivals dominated chess mid-1930s famous tournament victories chess tournament points ahead chess tournament points ahead won tournaments outright shared place tournament placed lower hastings shared second place point swept exhibition match san_juan managed draw match paris played board france chess winning prize hamburg gold medals board prague silver medal board warsaw loss master prague loss chess event winning world championship early 1930s travelled world giving simultaneous exhibitions including hawaii tokyo manila singapore shanghai hong_kong dutch_east_indies july played thirty people simultaneously new world record chicago winning nineteen drawing losing games married fourth wife née sixteen years senior american born widow british tea ceylon retained british citizenship end life remained wife death noticed drinking increasing amounts alcohol wrote drank heavily tournament drank heavily match loss world title challenged championship match early 1930s regarded credible accepted challenge october earlier year dutch radio sports journalist han asked views forthcoming match rare archival film footage speak replies game bluff game clear straightforward game strong respects evenly balanced gives assessment dutch explaining feelings alternated optimism previous years score evenly matched october world championship match began netherlands took early lead game thirteen onwards won twice games challenger new champion december wins thirteen draws losses world championship match officially seconds services win major upset wrote drank alcohol half match later took glass games assisted thought caused problems alcohol match previously said win easily later world champions analyzed match benefit concluded deserved win standard play worthy world championship according alcohol altogether years match eighteen months losing title played tournaments uneven results tied bad place dresden june second july sixth nottingham august fine amsterdam october tied amsterdam october won hastings new year tournament ahead fine place nice march fine april tied fourth june july tied second july second reign quick arrange return match unable obtain won world title regained title december large margin match held netherlands fine match real contest initially collapsed near end losing games fine attributed collapse nervous tension possibly aggravated attempts maintain calm appearance played title matches held title death began won chess tournament march april tied sir plymouth september november tied 4th 6th ahead tournament netherlands tournament played dutch cities days time surprising rising stars took places older players found travel immediately tournament finished place challenged match world championship agreed prize fund thirds going winner match place moscow invited months advance play tournament ready match details agreed world war interrupted negotiations players resumed war won tournament fine challenged world championship match negotiations proceeding disrupted world war war home country estonia invaded ussr germany ussr end war soviet government prevented continuing negotiations grounds collaborated germans occupation estonia soviet standards representing france board 8th world war broke europe assembly team captains leading roles played poland germany plus president decided won individual silver medal wins losses seven draws results finals separately sections counted best individual scores shortly swept tournaments end august wrote possible world championship rematch spoke rematch virtual certainty stating cuban remaining buenos_aires came referred length financial burden aftermath supported latin american financial challenged world title match november tentative plans actually backed deposit required purse gold led virtual agreement play buenos_aires argentina beginning april world war unlike participants returned europe january short stay portugal enlisted french army officer fall france june fled tried america traveling lisbon applying american october sought permission enter cuba promising play match request denied protect wife french assets castle near nazis looted agreed cooperate nazis took chess tournaments munich prague organised chief executive nazi controlled greater germany chess federation strong masters nazi occupied europe played events tied second munich chess tournament september won shared 2nd general government october won madrid december following year won chess tournament june munich september nazis named means european championship later won warsaw 3rd october tied prague december drew mini match warsaw march won prague april tied june late spending time spain portugal german representative chess events allowed away soviet invasion eastern europe narrowly won match april won july following year won madrid march tied second place july event won won august tied august won september took second autumn match near lisbon portugal january won games lost drew took interest development chess devoted section book played aged achieved draw champion final year death world war invited chess tournaments outside alleged nazi affiliation original invitation london tournament withdrawn competitors protested planning match died aged hotel room portugal march circumstances death matter debate usually attributed heart attack letter magazine witness autopsy stated meat actual cause death autopsy inch long piece meat discovered blocking speculated murdered french death squad years later son said hand moscow reached father canadian lived portugal late 1980s thoroughly investigated death favors possibility makes case manipulation crime scene autopsy portuguese secret police believes murdered outside hotel room probably soviets burial sponsored remains transferred paris france assessment playing strength style statistical ranking systems differ sharply views warriors mind rates 18th strongest player time comments victories players strong basis time ranking website ranks fourth eighth best time depending lengths peak periods compared concludes absolute peak little stronger little weaker author website rates sixth highest peak strength relative players era time basis comparable ratings victory tournament sixth best performance tournaments book rating past present gave retrospective ratings players based performance best year span career concluded joint fifth strongest player surveyed tied peak period early 1930s won tournament played huge margins afterward play declined won class tournament regained world title new contenders greatest attacking players apparently produce combinations set apart attacking players ability potential attack prepare positions saw master produced said combinations positions said poet creates work art hardly inspire man send home picture post card explanation offered beats opponents simple apparently harmless sequences moves order time end original possibility difficult hidden commented special ability provoke complications taking excessive risks called supreme genius complicated position combinations complex modern champions contenders disagree analyses said attacking play based solid foundations went saying versatile chess equally home style play phases game contender world championship late 1930s wrote 1950s collection best games beautiful knew equally impressed games higher percentage wins drawn games average longest champions desire win extended formal chess competition fine beat casual games demanded match small stake table tennis played enthusiastically badly crush ball lost article ranked greatest players history fischer famous clarity play wrote hero cared style play light breezy worked scarcely work played gigantic outrageous unprecedented ideas great imagination deeply situation player chess history complicated positions found concepts style profound influence said having greatest influence like approach game chess ideas sure future belongs chess said considers greatest chess player time influence game openings opening variations named addition known defence orthodox variation variations vienna game variation french defense queen accepted defense queen game different lines bear commented openings consist games variations composed studies shown right miniature study maximum seven pieces wrote books chess editions games major match tournament plus collections best games unlike wrote books explained ideas game showed improve play books appeal expert players contain long analyses variations critical positions exceptions rules declared enemy soviet_union statement gradually soviet chess elite following death research games career culminating biography led soviet series tournaments moscow won jointly book devoted chapter called russia greatest player praised capacity seizing initiative concrete tactical play opening wrote chess learned fighting qualities capacity self criticism vision written success chess required firstly self knowledge secondly firm opponent strength weakness higher aim artistic scientific accomplishments accord chess equal rank arts accusations improving games wrote allegedly games fictitious opponents came victor games published chess magazines recent book lists improvements famous example game queens moscow actual game playing black beat moscow tournament books presented queens variation starting rejected black original game actual game won white player moscow book version tournament position right arose real play claimed white wins complicated play black goes queen recent analyses suggest case white plays black play white mating attack later computer assisted analysis concludes white force win sequence queens chess historian investigated game allegedly won moves queen sacrifice photos game progress discovered showed players game based position chess pieces taken photo game taken course stated published version raised suspicions published version published version fake doubt defeat opponent actual game evidence source famous win authenticity doubted accusations world war played tournaments held germany german occupied territory strong players occupied neutral countries march series articles appeared german language newspaper published paris occupying german forces things articles said jews great talent exploiting chess showed signs chess described theories cheap bluff self publicity majority anglo jewish pseudo intellectuals described match triumph jewish conspiracy reported making statements interviews spanish newspapers september said chess aggressive chess hand semitic concept admitted idea pure defence immediately liberation paris publicly stated write chess articles germans granted exit articles claims purely scientific rewritten germans published treat chess racial viewpoint wrote open letter organizer london tournament posthumous book differently extensive investigations yielded conclusive evidence authenticity articles chess writer claimed issue europe saw found exact text article appeared march book parties games written known articles manipulated editor british chess historian notes articles names famous chess masters interpreted evidence attempts signal forced write things believe simply errors easy read articles contained probably incorrect claims english polish polish jew probably polish jewish winter concludes things stand difficult construct defence discovery articles settle matter doubt current french copyright law enter public domain january evidence personal chess relationships jews june arrested imprisoned sentenced death jewish master saved sending telegram chairman knew ordered release accepted apparently chess analysis world championship match jewish master lived new_york visited return new_york defeating played short match favour financial second match master dutch jew american jewish wrote found friendly chess settings taking consultation games productive analysis sessions wrote treated younger time virtually dinner occasions new_york 1930s economy weak great depression added early 1930s opined american jewish challenger fact occur gave chess lessons year old german jew paris spring married american woman jewish ancestry fourth wife women champion paris notable chess games london queen declined orthodox defense attack king joins hastings called greatest games played incredibly deep variations black prepares queen queen declined orthodox defense makes obvious mistakes slow build lets initiative start board desperately tries free position crushed series sacrifices forces win piece hungarian opening reversed complex game combination wins knight world championship match buenos_aires queen declined game ends position queens board shortest games ending 26th black strategically lost good moves game spawned term gun formation queen lines hamburg variation 1st best game prize queen declined line short game ending queen sacrifice tournament said attacking genius equal history game world championship match game russian variation sacrifices traps king centre wins queen finishes writings wrote books chess best known alexander best games chess dover isbn originally published volumes best games chess best games chess alexander book hastings international masters chess tournament dover isbn alexander book new york international chess tournament dover isbn alexander book nottingham international chess tournament dover isbn alexander world chess championship dover isbn games analysis published edited published book alexander great chess battles dover isbn summary results competitions tournament results scores tournaments score games won games lost games drawn match results results matches score games won games lost games drawn results results played board france events score games won games lost games drawn information town portugal street named alexander near died book best games chess featured classic film matter life death named honor
Alexander Alekhine