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reviews of April 2018
BOOKS REVIEWS BY JOHN ELBURG.
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John
Elburg
Chess Books
Chess Duels, 1893-1920: 260 games annotated by Alexander Alekhine
2017
Moravian Chess
http://www.moravian-chess.cz
448 pages
Price €32,95
ISBN 978-80-7189-012-6
The well known chess historian Vlastimil Fiala has managed to compile a wonderful chess book based on the original notes from Alekander Alekhine,covering not only a Hugh
collection of Alekhine his own games but also from his contemporaries of that time.
So the reader will find in this book unique annotated Alekhine games from players as Nimzowitsch,Capablanca,Salwe,Bogoljubow,Janowski etc.
Included is the following short game with light notes,but Alekhine his words after this game are more than interesting which gives the reader a rare inside view of Alekhine his mind and thinking on the game of chess: Breyer,Gyula - Englund,Fritz [B01]
Scheveningen Scheveningen (8), 02.08.1913
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qa5 4.b4 Qe5+ 5.Be2 c6 6.Nf3 Qc7 7.0-0 e5 8.Re1 Bd6 9.d4 Ne7 10.Nxe5 Bxb4 11.Bd2 Nd7 12.Nb5 cxb5 13.Bxb4 Nxe5 14.Bxb5+ Kf8 15.Rxe5 Be6 16.Qe2 Rd8 17.d5 Rxd5 18.Rxd5 Bxd5 19.Rd1 a6 20.Rxd5 axb5 21.Qxe7+ 1-0,And Alekhine writes:
Our foreign commentator concluded his notes to the game with the stereotyped phrase that Breyer conducted the attack’in Morphy style’.In my view,this type of statement demonstrates a complete lack of understanding of the basic talent of one of the most gifted players of the last century.Yes ,Morphy sometimes played brilliantly {if by this one understands cheap effects,such as sacrificing the queen with a calculation of 2-3 moves.},he was largely able to do this only when playing an opponent with a very distant impression of the need for normal piece development,and in general with a rather poor understanding.
But when he met with players of his own class,it was no longer by such ‘rattles’that he achieved his wins.His strength {and in this strength there is genuine beauty}consisted in his deeply considered positional play,largely of an aggressive character {cf.,for example, his matches with Anderssen and Harrwitz},and of course,not in ‘effects, capable of bringing indescribable joy only to beginners,or to those who right to old age have been unable to move with the corresponding degree of chess development.{Novoe Vremya 7.11.1913}
It is clear that Alekhine developed his unique skills by annotating games as we can see in this highly interested read!
Would like to end with the following famous blindfold simultaneous display in a military hospital in September 1916:
Alekhine,Alexander - Feldt,M
Alekhine blindfold sim +5-0=0 Tarnopol, 09.1916
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.exd5 Nxd5 5.Ne4 f5 6.Ng5 Be7 7.N5f3 c6 8.Ne5 0-0 9.Ngf3 b6 10.Bd3 Bb7 11.0-0 Re8 12.c4 Nf6 13.Bf4 Nbd7 14.Qe2 c5 15.Nf7 Kxf7 16.Qxe6+ Kg6 17.g4 Be4 18.Nh4# 1-0.
In the book from Skinner and Verhoeven,they mention that the black player was Dr.Martin Fischer but as we know Alekhine was not so précis with his opponent names in simultaneous displays.
Conclusion: This is a classic masterpiece!
Chess Books
Chess Duels, 1893-1920: 260 games annotated by Alexander Alekhine
2017
Moravian Chess
http://www.moravian-chess.cz
448 pages
Price €32,95
ISBN 978-80-7189-012-6
The well known chess historian Vlastimil Fiala has managed to compile a wonderful chess book based on the original notes from Alekander Alekhine,covering not only a Hugh
collection of Alekhine his own games but also from his contemporaries of that time.
So the reader will find in this book unique annotated Alekhine games from players as Nimzowitsch,Capablanca,Salwe,Bogoljubow,Janowski etc.
Included is the following short game with light notes,but Alekhine his words after this game are more than interesting which gives the reader a rare inside view of Alekhine his mind and thinking on the game of chess: Breyer,Gyula - Englund,Fritz [B01]
Scheveningen Scheveningen (8), 02.08.1913
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 3.Nc3 Qa5 4.b4 Qe5+ 5.Be2 c6 6.Nf3 Qc7 7.0-0 e5 8.Re1 Bd6 9.d4 Ne7 10.Nxe5 Bxb4 11.Bd2 Nd7 12.Nb5 cxb5 13.Bxb4 Nxe5 14.Bxb5+ Kf8 15.Rxe5 Be6 16.Qe2 Rd8 17.d5 Rxd5 18.Rxd5 Bxd5 19.Rd1 a6 20.Rxd5 axb5 21.Qxe7+ 1-0,And Alekhine writes:
Our foreign commentator concluded his notes to the game with the stereotyped phrase that Breyer conducted the attack’in Morphy style’.In my view,this type of statement demonstrates a complete lack of understanding of the basic talent of one of the most gifted players of the last century.Yes ,Morphy sometimes played brilliantly {if by this one understands cheap effects,such as sacrificing the queen with a calculation of 2-3 moves.},he was largely able to do this only when playing an opponent with a very distant impression of the need for normal piece development,and in general with a rather poor understanding.
But when he met with players of his own class,it was no longer by such ‘rattles’that he achieved his wins.His strength {and in this strength there is genuine beauty}consisted in his deeply considered positional play,largely of an aggressive character {cf.,for example, his matches with Anderssen and Harrwitz},and of course,not in ‘effects, capable of bringing indescribable joy only to beginners,or to those who right to old age have been unable to move with the corresponding degree of chess development.{Novoe Vremya 7.11.1913}
It is clear that Alekhine developed his unique skills by annotating games as we can see in this highly interested read!
Would like to end with the following famous blindfold simultaneous display in a military hospital in September 1916:
Alekhine,Alexander - Feldt,M
Alekhine blindfold sim +5-0=0 Tarnopol, 09.1916
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.exd5 Nxd5 5.Ne4 f5 6.Ng5 Be7 7.N5f3 c6 8.Ne5 0-0 9.Ngf3 b6 10.Bd3 Bb7 11.0-0 Re8 12.c4 Nf6 13.Bf4 Nbd7 14.Qe2 c5 15.Nf7 Kxf7 16.Qxe6+ Kg6 17.g4 Be4 18.Nh4# 1-0.
In the book from Skinner and Verhoeven,they mention that the black player was Dr.Martin Fischer but as we know Alekhine was not so précis with his opponent names in simultaneous displays.
Conclusion: This is a classic masterpiece!
