Chess Musings

Well, I said this blog would include chess, didn't I?

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A while back I posted on the subject of Bobby Fischer,

and the question of whether one can seperate the nut

from the chess genius. Today I would like to mention

another chess genius who embroiled himself in controversy:

Alexander Alekhine.

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For those of you who don't know, Alekhine was one of the greats.

In addition to being the 4th world Chapion, he produced games of

incredible beauty. Unfortunately, his life did not go so smoothly.

Suffering from alcoholism, he temporarily lost his

championship to a player who was considered universally to

be less skilled than he was.

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The greatest controversy occured afterward, during WWII.

At the time, Alekhine lived in France.

He had served as an interpreter in the French Army,

and as captain of his chess team, refused to play with Germany.

Around the time that he was trying to escape from Vichy France,

six articles deriding Jewish chess players appeared under Alekhine's by-line

in a pro-Nazi newspaper. Alekhine also gave an interview quoted in a

Spanish paper, in which he said that he was proud of what he wrote.

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After the war, Alekhine categorically denied that he had written a word,

and also that he had given his name to the articles to be able to help his wife,

who was of British nationality. The stain of pro-Nazi collaborator

ruined him - he was reduced to a destitute state, and he was denied the right

to play in Britain due to pressure from the US. When he was finally invited

to play for his title against the rising star of the next generation -

Mikhail Botvinnik - he died preparing for the match.

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At least one part of his story, that he didn't actually write the articles, was

disproved when the manuscripts of the articles, in his handwriting, were

found among his wife's belongings. As for the argument that he did it under

duress, either for his wife or because of money problems, I see no reason

not to give him the benefit of the doubt, as I don't

know of any other anti-semitic outburst of his throughout his life save this.

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If anyone knows more on the subject, even if it is to disprove the above,

please don't hesitate to comment.

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Source: "Alekhine, Alexander Alexandrovich", Hooper & Whyld,

The Oxford Companion to Chess, Oxford 1996, p. 5-7.