A. Alekhine

The tragic last years of world chess champion Alexander Alekhine (1892–1946), 45 of his match and tournament games in Spain and Portugal from 1943 to 1946, and 100 other late exhibition games are covered. A definitive biographical sketch emerges of Alekhine in his final phase, covering his marriages, alcoholism and murky involvement with the Nazis.

The late Pablo Morán, of Oviedo, Spain, was an international arbiter, a national master and author of seven other chess books.
Frank X. Mur is a Spanish translator and interpreter living in Oakland, California.
The late Dale A. Brandreth lived in Yorklyn, Delaware, and was a well known publisher and distributor of chess books.

Pablo Morán
Edited and Translated by Frank X. Mur; Consulting Editor Dale A. Brandreth
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 328
Bibliographic Info: 175 diagrams, 14 tables, appendices, bibliography, indexes
Copyright Date: 2010 [1989]
pISBN: 978-0-7864-5981-0
Imprint: McFarland

Editor’s Preface      vii
List of Full Games      viii
List of Positions      xii
Author’s Introduction      xiii

1. Condemned to Death      1
2. Francisco Lupi and Portugal      3
3. Alekhine versus Morphy      17
4. Picaresque Exhibitions      20
5. Exhibitions Under the Influence      24
6. The Champion’s Ethics      27
7. Was the World Champion Antisemitic?      31
8. The Nazism of Alekhine      50
9. Alekhine the Man      52
10. Alekhine and Women      56
1 1. The Incredible Errors      59
12. First Visit to Spain, 1922      63
13. Second Visit, 1922–23      75
14. The World Champion in Barcelona, January 1928      87
15. The “King” Returns in 1935      92
16. Two Visits in 1941      115
17. The Ending Commences (October 1943)      129
18. Alekhine–Rey Ardid Match      137
19. Alekhine’s Ability to Save Inferior Rook Endings      147
20. Tournament of Gijón, 1944      152
21. Tournament of Madrid, 1945      175
22. Tournament of Gijón, 1945      196
23. Tournament of Sabadell, 1945      225
24. Tournament of Almería, 1945      236
25. Tournament of Melilla, 1945      245
26. Tournament of Cáceres, 1945      254
27. A Selection of Simultaneous Games, 1943–45      257
28. Alekhine–Lupi Match      269
29. The Ending      274
30. Epilogue      281
31. Alekhine’s Career Summary      282

Appendices
A. Exonerates Chess Champion      287
B. New York Times, 1933      289
C. Gerbec      291
D. 1929 versus 1941      293
E. Alekhine Defends Wartime Conduct      295
F. Bogo Under Fire      299
G. French Post Card to Dr. Rey Ardid      301

Bibliography      303
Openings Index      305
Endings Index      306
General Index      307

• “Excellent…an impressive treatment…fine prose…a good solid account of what has only been known about before in a large number of scattered sources”—British Chess Magazine
• “For myriad insights into the man, this is a fascinating and unusual book”—Manchester Chess Federation
• “Beautifully researched, emotionally moving”—IM John Donaldson (JeremySilman.com)
• “Certainly the most complete biography that exists!”—Le Courrier des Échecs
• “A fine biographical account…full of games from Alekhine’s final years which have eluded the mainstream. One of the most remarkable chess books of the last few years”—Chess
• “Compelling”—Blitz Chess
• “frank and equitable treatment of personal matters…vastly superior to [the competition].”—Edward Winter, Kings, Commoners and Knaves.