It was hoped that Capablanca would play, but Alekhine demanded an extra $2,000 (about $47,000 today)… a demand the organizers couldn’t (or wouldn’t) meet, so Capablanca was out.
In the following game, a non-game really, Reuben Fine made a slight slip in the opening when he transposed moves and his Knights got all tangled up. His opponent was the strong California Master Harry Borochow (1898-1993, 95 years old).
The opening was an Alekhine’s Defense. One long time practitioner of the defense is IM and experienced coach Igor Khmelnitsky. He wrote that it’s OK to play the Alekhine if you like the positions you get, but he warned that you must make sure you are well prepared. Fine wasn’t.
[Event "Pasadena"]
[Site ""]
[Date "1932.08.25"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Harry Borochow"]
[Black "Reuben Fine"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B02"]
[Annotator "Stockfish 18"]
[PlyCount "21"]
[EventDate "1932.08.15"]
{B02: Alekhine's Defense: Chase Variation} 1. e4 Nf6 {Play at your own risk!}
2. e5 {Buy far the most popular.} Nd5 3. c4 Nb6 4. d4 {Now after the only good
move 4...d6 we can we can expect to see either the Four Pawns Attack (5.f4) or
the eqially good 5.exd6} Nc6 {Amazing! By omitting 4...d6 black already has a
losing position. There are 18 games in my database in which this move was
played and white won 12, blundered away the winning advantage and lost 3 while
black escaped with a draw in 3 games.} 5. d5 {This is, by far, the best move.
It looks obvious, but in my database only half the players made it.} Nxe5 (5...
Nb8 6. c5 {picks up the N.}) (5... Nb4 {At first glance this appeas to work.}
6. c5 N6xd5 7. a3 {and black still loses a N.}) 6. c5 Nbc4 7. f4 {[%mdl 1024]}
(7. Qd4 {Even better!} d6 8. Bxc4 Nxc4 9. Qxc4 {Diaz,J-Powalla,K Germany 1995.
Black struggled on for a while before giving up.}) 7... e6 {Under the
circumstances this is the best he has.} 8. Qd4 Qh4+ {A spite check.} (8... d6
9. fxe5 Nxe5 {and black has two Ps for the N and just to make things look
better he could play on. Here's a possible line that was played by Stockfish
after a minute or so.} 10. Nc3 exd5 11. Nxd5 c6 12. Ne3 Be6 13. Bd2 Qc7 14. Bc3
O-O-O 15. O-O-O {White is clearly better, but there is no forced win.}) 9. g3
Qh6 {The Q is horriblt misplaced here!} (9... Qh5 10. Be2 Qf5 11. fxe5 Nxe5 {
Black is still lost, but has managed to preserve a small measure of dignity.})
10. Nc3 {Neither N can nove without losing the other one, so white develops a
piece.} exd5 11. fxe5 {Black resigned. He could have played on, but why bother?
} (11. fxe5 Qc6 12. Qxd5 b5 13. cxb6 Nxb6 14. Qxc6 dxc6 {Black only has a P
for his N and his position is hopeless.}) 1-0
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