Alexander Alexandrovich Alekhine is a famous World Chess champion who began pursuing chess since the young age of 10, competing in Shakhmatnoe Obozrenie’s numerous correspondence tournaments. Five years later, teenage Alexander would go on to win Moscow chess club’s Spring Tournament. This seemed to be the point of revelation to Alexander that he would become a chess great. In hardly any time at all, he began playing more difficult tournaments. He began climbing the ladder of his chess career, even leaving his home, Russia, to find competitors. Nearing the end of 1911, Alekhine relocated to St. Petersburg, where he joined the local chess club, the St. Petersburg Chess Society, and played at a level far above his peers.
In 1914, Alekhine competed in a major St. Petersburg chess tournament held in the capital of the Russian Empire. Here, 22 year-old Alekhine took third place and was given the title “Grandmaster of Chess” by Tsar Nicholas II, who passed the titles to each of the five finalists of the tournament. Despite the fact that sources stating that he was indeed bestowed that title are few and difficult to find, none can deny that Alekhine performed to the level of grandmaster regardless of a formal title.
In July and August of 1914, Alekhine led the 19th DSB Congress in Mannheim, Germany, procuring nine wins, a draw, and losing only a single match. It was at this time that World War I broke out. When war was declared against Russia, Alekhine and ten other Russian players were interned in Rastatt, Germany. In September, Alekhine was permitted to return home. Undeterred by this disturbance, he moved on to prove his strength in tournaments across Rossia. In 1920 alone he dominated the Moscow City Chess Championship (11/11) and the All-Russian Olympiad in Moscow (12/15). This tournament was later recognized as the first ever USSR championship.
In the 1927 World Chess Championship, Alekhine became the 4th World Champion in a grueling match against Jose Capablanca. He continued securing victory after victory, notably the San Remo 1930 chess tournament (+13 =2, 3½ points ahead of Nimzowitsch) and the Bled 1931 chess tournament (+15 =11, 5½ points ahead of Bogoljubov). In 1935, Alekhine’s title was taken from him by Euwe, a man who triumphed with nine wins, thirteen draws, and eight losses. Unprepared to let his title be separated from him for long, regaining his title a mere two years later, again battling Euwe. Euwe found Alekhine to have regained his former glory, sustaining a heavy loss to the previous champion (+10 –4 =11). After this, Alekhine no longer played title matches, holding the title until his death on March 24th, 1946.
Here is a nice little game where Alekhine wins with the Dutch Defense against Bogoljubov.
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