CHESS

Poor genius

Raymond Keene

obby Fischer can lay a twofold claim to the status of greatest chessplayer, In the first place, though this is not conclusive, no one has challenged his 2780 rating — nor is anyone likely to in the foreseeable future except Kasparov, and he still has some way to go. Secondly, and more impressively, Fischer quit while he was ahead, thus immersing himself in a mythical nimbus of invincibility. Paul Morphy engineered a similar feat of legerdemain, retiring sud- denly after comprehensively slaughtering the European masters Paulsen, Lowenthal, Harrwitz and Anderssen. But what if Alekhine had abandoned chess in 1931? Four years previously the brilliant Russian had vanquished the allegedly unbeatable Capablanca. In 1929 he had contemptuously brushed aside a challenge from the dangerous Bogoljubov, while at San Remo 1930 and Bled 1931

B

Alekhine logged two of the most crushing tournament victories of all time.

By retiring at that moment, Alekhine could have created the legend of a chess superman, but he chose to play on till the end of his days, enduring the setbacks and humiliations which inevitably confront an ageing chessboard warrior who insists on playing to the last.He died, utterly im- poverished, in Portugal in 1946.

Three of Alekhine's results fulfil my criteria for inclusion in the list of great tournaments. All three tournaments attained category 13. Bled, a justly cele- brated triumph, revealed Alekhine at the

1 Alekhine

3 Bogoljubow

3 Nfinzowitsch 4 Flohr S Kashdan 6 Stoltz

7 Vidmar

8 Tartakover

9 Kostie 10 Spielmann

11 Marocz 12 Colle Asztalos 14 Pire

Bled Tournament 1931 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Ttl X 11/2 11 11/2 1/21h 11 11/2 11/2 11/2 1/2 1/2 11 11 1/21h 11 201/2

01/2 X 1/20 11 11 11/2 01/2 10 01 01/2 00 11 1/21 11 15

00 1hi X 11 00 01/2 1/21/2 1/21/21/21/2 1/21 l'h 11/2 11 01/2 14 01/2 00 00 X 11/2 1/21/2 1/21 10 11/2 1/21 11 1/20 1/21 1/21/2 131/2 1/21/2 00 11 01h X 11/2 11/21/2 00 11/2 1/21/2 10 11 1/21/2 1/2 1/2 131/2 00 01/2 Ph 1/21/2 01/2 X 1/21 11 1/21/2 1/21 1/21 00 01 11/2 131/2 01/2 11/2 1/21/2 1/20 1/21/2 120 X 1/21/2 11 1/20 1/21/2 1/21 1/21 1/21/2 131/2 01/2 01 1/21/2 01 11 00 1/21/2 X 1/20 1/21h1h1/2 11 1/21/2 1/21/2 13 01/2 10 1/21/2 01/2 01/2 161/2 00 1/21 X 1/21/2 1/21/2 01 11/2 11 121/2 1/21/2 11/2 1/20 1/20 1/21/2 1/20 1/21 1/21/21/21/2 X 01/2 00 11/2 11 121/2 00 11 01/2 00 01 1/20 1/21/2 1/21/2 1/21/2 11/2 X 1/21 1/21/2 1/2'h 12 00 00 01/2 1/21 00 11 1/20 00 10 11 1/20 X 01/2 11 101/2 1/21/2 1/20 00 1/20 1/21/2 10 1/20 1/21/2 01/2 01/2 1/21/2 11/2 X 01/2 91/2 00 00 11/2 1/21/2 1/21/2 01/2 1/21/2 121/2 00 00 1/21/2 00 11/2 X 81/2 height of his powers. The double-rounders from Salzburg demonstrated that even during his wartime period, usually neg- lected by commentators, Alekhine was capable of tremendous performances. Here the scores were: Salzburg 1942, Alekhine 71/2/10, Keres 6, Schmidt and Junge 5, Bogoljubov 31/2, Stoltz 3; and Salzburg 1943, Alekhine and Keres 71/2110, Schmidt 41/2, Bogoljubov 4, Foltys 31/2, Rellstab 3.

Sharp tactical elements play a very prominent role in Alekhine's games. Wit- ness this bolt from the blue against a representative of the younger generation: Alekhine-Flohr: Bled 1931.

Alekhine now set a deadly and cunning trap; who could foresee that Black's back rank is vulnerable?

27 Rxd8 Rxd8 28 e5! If now 28 . . . fxe5 29 h5 undermining Black's king's side pawn carapace. Flohr naturally chose 28 . . . f5 but after 29 Rc8/1 he had to resign (29 . . . Rxc8 30 Qxb6 or 29 . . . Qxe3 30 Rxd8+). The point of 28 e5ll was to rule out the defence 29 Rc8!! Qd6.