Alekhine’s Greatedt Game?

 

   When it comes to picking Alehome’s greatest game it;s impossible because he had so many, but his game against Reti at Baden-Baden, 1925 has to be one of them. It’s been annotated by a lot of GMs including Gary Kasparov. You’ve probably seen it before, but even if you have it’s worth looking at again. 

    Following World War I which ended in November of 1914 no really great tournaments had been held in Germany and so Tarrasch prevailed upon the authorities Baden-Baden, a famous spa city, to host another international tournament...the last had bee in 1870! 

    Unfortunately neither Emanuel Lasker and Jose Capablanca both priced themselves out of the market when they insisted on a large appearance fee which officials were either unwilling or unable to meet. Also invited but unable to accept because of their professional employment were Milan Vidmar, an electrical engineer and college professor, and Geza Maroczy, at the time an auditor with the Hungarian government. Alekhine’s win at Baden-Baden was just the first of great wins to come. The others were San Remo in 1930 and Bled in 1931.

[Event "Baden-Baden GER"] [Site "Baden-Baden GER"] [Date "1925.04.25"] [Round "?"] [White "Richard Reti"] [Black "Alexander Alekhine"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "A00"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "80"] [EventDate "1925.04.16"] {A00: Reversed Alekhine} 1. g3 {Alekhine called this move eccentric.} e5 2. Nf3 {This is the eccentric move! The opening is now an Alekhine Defense with the colors reversed!} e4 3. Nd4 d5 (3... c5 4. Nb3 c4 5. Nd4 Bc5 (5... Nc6 6. c3 Bc5 7. Bg2 Nf6 8. O-O Nxd4 9. cxd4 Bxd4 {This weird position offers equal chances. Wohl,A (2415)-Hamdouchi,H (2615) Catalan Bay 2003}) 6. e3 d5 7. d3 cxd3 8. cxd3 Nf6 {Black is a little better. Katavic,B (2197)-Pejic,I (2097) Split CRO 2011}) 4. d3 exd3 5. Qxd3 {As far as I know this move has not been commented on, but 5.cxd3 is a good alternative.} (5. cxd3 Nf6 6. Bg2 Be7 7. O-O O-O 8. Nc3 c5 9. Nb3 h6 10. Bf4 Nc6 11. Rc1 Bg4 12. h3 Bh5 13. g4 Bg6 14. Bg3 Rc8 15. Bh4 b6 16. Nd2 d4 17. Bxf6 Bxf6 18. Nd5 Be7 {A draw as agreed. Zacurdajev,M (2374)-Serov,M (2275) St Petersburg 2007}) 5... Nf6 {Here or on the next move black could also have played ...c5} 6. Bg2 Bb4+ 7. Bd2 $11 Bxd2+ 8. Nxd2 {[%mdl 32]} O-O 9. c4 {Alekhine stated that (apart from his eccentric first move) Reti has played the opening very well. He is correct...Stocjfish evaluates the position as dead even.} Na6 {It's a bit off that Alekhine avoids ...c5, but Alekhune;s move is, as might be expected, perfectly satisfactory.} 10. cxd5 $14 (10. a3 {prevent ...Nb4, but then black has} Nc5 11. Qc2 dxc4 12. Qxc4 Ne6 13. N2f3 c6 {with complete equality.}) 10... Nb4 11. Qc4 Nbxd5 12. N2b3 c6 13. O-O Re8 14. Rfd1 Bg4 15. Rd2 Qc8 16. Nc5 Bh3 {The play of neither side can be faulted as evidenced bny the fact that Stockfish offers 17.Bxd5, 17.Bh1, 17.Bf3 and 17.Nf3 as all being of bearly equal worth!} 17. Bf3 Bg4 18. Bg2 Bh3 {And now ...b6 would win.} 19. Bf3 Bg4 {Obviously Alekhine is willing to accept the draw. Had Reti taken the draw bwith 20.Bg2 Alekhine would still have finished first by a full point.} 20. Bh1 {To quote a better annotator than I, "Had Reti played 20.Bg2, the game would have ended in a draw by repetition and we would not seen a brilliant combination..." Soviet GM Alexander Kotov.} h5 {Just the slightest hint of what's coming.} 21. b4 a6 22. Rc1 h4 23. a4 {It's hard to fault Reti's play on the Q-side as technically the position remains equal, but hindsight indicates that play in the center might have been better.} (23. e4 Nb6 24. Qd3 Nbd7 25. f3 {with the slimest advantage and black's shenanigans on the K-side have been greatly reduced.}) 23... hxg3 24. hxg3 Qc7 25. b5 {White is not yet facing a astrophysics, but just a smidgen better would have been 25.e4.} axb5 26. axb5 Re3 {"It seems almost incredible that this spectacular move not only stops white's attack but even brings him serious trouble. And yet it is so. It is obvious enough that the R cannot be taken because of 27...Qxg3, followed by 28... Nxe3 and wins; and also that white has to do something in order to parry 27... Rxg3!, etc." Alekhine. It's is an amazing move and one that Stockfish hit upon in an instant. However, the engine also evaluates the position a equal (0.18).} 27. Nf3 {"As the following shows, this move loses perforce." Alekhine,} (27. fxe3 { loses outright.} Qxg3+ 28. Bg2 Nxe3 {White cannot prevent ...Qxg2#}) (27. Bf3 { This move throws a monkey wrench into the works...} Bxf3 28. exf3 {and there is no black attack. Play might continue...} cxb5 29. Nxb5 Qa5 30. Rcd1 (30. fxe3 Qxd2 31. Qc2 Qxe3+ 32. Kg2 {At first glance it's hard to believe that black is winning, but here is how it's done...} Nb4 33. Qc4 Ra2+) 30... Re1+ 31. Rxe1 Qxd2 {with complete equality.}) 27... cxb5 {Again, I quote a better annotator than myself. "The start of a typhoon that sweeps almost all the pieces from the board." Kasparov} 28. Qxb5 (28. Qd4 {would have been tougher for black to meet.} Ra4 29. Qb2 Rc4 30. Rxc4 bxc4 31. Qd4 Re8 32. Ne1 Nc3 33. Qxc3 Qxc5 {and black's piece activity and two passed Ps assure him of a significant advantage.}) 28... Nc3 {[%mdl 512]} 29. Qxb7 Qxb7 30. Nxb7 { Even with the Qs off the board and with his R and N attacked black has a stunning continuation.} Nxe2+ 31. Kh2 {Now what?!} Ne4 {[%mdl 512] Alekhine explains the position: "The beginning of a new combination, wich however, is the absolutely logical consequence of the previous maneuvers, aiming, after a series of twelve practically forced moves, at the capture of white's exposed Nt at b7. Black's R is still taboo as 32. fxe3? Nd2 would lose the exchange." Alekhine. The move also receive high praise from Kasparov and Fuscher, so you know it simply must be good!} 32. Rc4 Nxf2 ({Worse is} 32... Bxf3 33. Rxe4 Bxe4 34. fxe3 Bxh1 35. Kxh1 Nxg3+ {and it;s highly doubtful that black could win.}) (32... Rxf3 {is also a clunker.} 33. Rxe2 Rxf2+ 34. Rxf2 Nxf2 35. Bd5 {with a likely draw.}) (32... Nxd2 {is met by} 33. Nxd2 Be6 34. fxe3 Ra2 35. Be4 Rxd2 36. Rc2 Rxc2 37. Bxc2 {with a draw.}) 33. Bg2 {Black is clearly winning, but Alekhine's final combination makes this game a true masterpiece.} Be6 {An important key move of the combination.} ({And not} 33... Bxf3 34. Bxf3 Rxf3 35. Rxe2 {White is equal.}) (33... Ne4 {It must be pointed out that this is an equally effective move.} 34. Rdc2 Ra6 {Threatening ...Ra6} 35. Nh4 N2xg3 36. Bxe4 Nxe4 37. Nc5 Nxc5 38. Rxc5 Rh6 {and wins}) 34. Rcc2 Ng4+ 35. Kh3 Ne5+ 36. Kh2 Rxf3 37. Rxe2 Ng4+ 38. Kh3 Ne3+ {Of his next move Alekhine wrote, "The final point! winning a piece."} 39. Kh2 Nxc2 40. Bxf3 Nd4 {White resigned.} ( 40... Nd4 41. Rf2 Nxf3+ 42. Rxf3 Bd5 {with a won ending.}) 0-1