Scientists have long noticed that playing chess contributes to the development of intelligence. According to historians, this game appeared in India two thousand years ago. There are many myths, legends and frank inventions on this subject. Russian and Soviet chess players made a significant contribution to the theory and practice of the game. The name of Alexander Alekhine is listed in the list of grandmasters the country is proud of. A man of complex and legendary fate. He left an invaluable legacy enjoyed by grateful descendants.
Debut combinations
According to information that has reached our days, at the beginning of the 20th century, chess was considered a noble game. In peasant huts they played checkers, “knocked” dominoes, “cut” cards. It is no secret that any intellectual game is preferable to empty pastime or drunkenness for no reason. Gradually, slowly, in small steps, chess penetrated the national environment. According to metric data, Alexander Alekhine was born on October 31, 1892 in a noble family. Parents lived in Moscow. The boy already had an older brother and sister. Children in the house were surrounded by love, but were not spoiled.
Alexander joined the game of chess at the age of seven. He mentions this in a biography. Mother was seriously preparing children for an independent life and at the appointed time showed the boy chess pieces and a chessboard. In those years, the game of correspondence chess was very popular. Tournaments were held regularly and the elder brother Alexey actively participated in such competitions. Sasha followed his example when he was ten years old. At home, they not only played among themselves, but also solved chess problems. The future world champion showed interest in the game slowly but thoroughly.
A kind of trigger for serious chess studies was the performance of the then-famous illusionist Harry Pilsbury, originally from America. The maestro, while traveling in Moscow, held a session of simultaneous play on twenty-two boards. At the same time, Harry played blindly. Novice chess player Alekhine, who was ten years old, tied with him. The game made a lasting impression on the young man, and from that time on he began to take chess more than seriously. Systematic work on theoretical preparation has begun. The young man actively participated in various tournaments that were held in the capital.
It should be noted that Alexander studied well at the gymnasium. Having received a certificate of completion of a full course of study, he continued his education at the Imperial College of Law. Alekhine easily manages to combine classes at the school and preparation for chess competitions. In the correspondence tournament, the young chess player was able to get the main prize of the journal "Chess Review". A year later, in 1908, he achieved the title of champion of Moscow. They started talking about him as a promising chess player. The next season, Alekhine won first place in the tournament in memory of Chigorin. He was officially awarded the title of maestro.
Cities and countries
In modern reference books, Alekhine’s work is spoken in excellent style. And it deserves it. However, in reality, the career of a great chess player developed along a complex path. Before the start of World War I, an international tournament was held in St. Petersburg, in which all prominent chess players took part. Among them was the current world champion Emmanuel Lasker. The forecast of astute experts came true - Alekhine took third place. It was after this tournament that he really began to prepare for the fight for the title of world champion. Such an application had a very real basis.
Subsequent events on the world stage confused all plans of not only Alekhine, but also other chess players. The maestro from Russia went through trials and thorns, which he did not even suspect at the dawn of his career. He had to sit in a German prison. Swing around in European countries. In Soviet Russia after 1917, the chess game was treated without much reverence. Only in the 20th year in Moscow did the first All-Russian Chess Olympiad take place. Alekhine won the main prize. But the current situation did not suit him. The desire to compete for the championship title did not give Alexander peace.
In 1921, Alekhine successfully married, which helped him to go abroad. He begins an active "nomadic" life. Participates in tournaments, holds individual meetings and speaks at simultaneous games. By then, the world chess champion is considered the famous Jose Raul Capablanca. It should be emphasized that there were no clearly defined rules for holding a tournament for the championship title. Leading chess players gathered and jointly adopted a protocol on the conditions for such competitions. The applicant was to raise $ 10 thousand dollars as a prize fund.
After long disputes, fees and discussions in the Argentinean government, they decided to hold the match in the capital of Buenos Aires. It was 1927 in the yard. According to the accepted rules, the rivals had to play up to six victories. The number of games played did not matter. It is interesting to note that up to this point, Alekhine had never defeated Capablanca. Bookmakers took bets only on the victory of the Argentinean. Maestro Alekhine carefully and in detail analyzed the playing style of his rival. And he found the right technique, which ensured his victory. Opponents managed to play 34 games, and Alekhine won six victories.
