Tuesday, October 6, 2020

Taking a Gander At An Alekhine Classic


     Everybody has seen the game Alekhine considered to be his best, Reti vs. Alekhine, Baden-Baden, 1925. 
     There are some questions about the game though. How many moves ahead did he see? How accurate was his analysis and, finally, did he doctor the moves? 
     As for the last question, I refer you to Edward Winter's article HERE. Everybody knows Alekhine was famous for altering moves and he often tried to give readers the impression that he saw everything from the beginning to the end. 
     Remember that in 1927 when Alekhine published My Best Games of Chess 1908-1923 he was trying to drum up backers for a world championship match. Hence, the urge to embellish a bit was just too much. 
     In any case, the game still remains one of Alekhine's best and even if you have seen it before, it's always enjoyable to take another gander at it! After all, it is the game about which Alekhine wrote, "I consider this and the game versus Bogoljubow at Hastings 1922 the most brilliant tournament games of my chess career. And...they both remained undistinguished as there were no brilliancy prizes awarded in either of these contests!"  NOTE: Thanks to an alert reader a typo was corrected...it was Hastings 1922, not 1925,
     In the game Alekhine countered Reti's excellent positional play by launching a sudden and surprising attack against Reti's King. Reti was instantly on defensive and Alekhine finished him off with a long series of beautiful moves. According to Garry Kasparov, the game is one of the most beautiful history. 
     Back in the 1980s, West German GM Robert Huebner, who at one time was one of the world's best players, produced Weltmeister Aljechin, a CD in which he took a critical look at 1,745 of Alekhine's games. Huebner, a world championship candidate at that time, would play over a few of Alekhine's games every day and try to refute his analysis. As one of the best modern analysts, Huebner concluded that Alekhine's notes to his games are overrated. 
     The game against Reti was played in the great tournament held at Baden-Baden in 1925. After World War I there were no great tournaments held in Germany and so Tarrasch approached the city authorities of the spa town of Baden Baden which had hosted a tournament in 1870 about holding another big tournament. 
     After receiving a favorable response, Tarrasch proceeded to organize the tournament. Lasker and Capablanca were invited, but thinking very highly of themselves, they both demanded appearance fees that were too large to met. Vidmar and Maroczy were also invited, but they were unable to attend because of their work.

Richard Reti - Alexander Alekhine

Result: 0-1

Site: Baden-Baden

Date: 1925.04.25

Irregular Opening

[...] 1.g3 e5 2.♘f3 This is an attempt to play the Alekhine's Defense with the colors reversed and white has an extra tempo. It was the last time Reti ever tried this experiment, but it's been played a few times since this game and the results for white have not been unfavorable. 2...e4 3.♘d4 d5
was suggested as better by Alekhine. 3...c5 4.♘b3 c4 5.♘d4 ♘c6 Alekhine suggested 5...Bc5. In either case white's position is satisfactory. 6.c3 ♗c5 7.♗g2 ♘f6 8.O-O ♘xd4 9.cxd4 ♗xd4 10.♕a4 O-O was played in Wohl,A (2415) -Hamdouchi,H (2615)/Catalan Bay 2003. Black is slightly better.
4.d3 exd3 5.♕xd3
5.cxd3 ♘f6 6.♗g2 ♗e7 7.O-O O-O 8.♘c3 is equal. Zacurdajev,M (2374) -Serov,M (2275)/St Petersburg 2007
5...♘f6 6.♗g2 ♗b4 Alekhine commented that he was trying to develop as rapidly as possible, but it would have been better to retain this B so as to guard his dark squares.
6...c5 was a good alternative. 7.♕b5 ♕d7 8.♕xd7 ♗xd7 9.♘b3 ♘c6 would leave white with a not too promising position.
7.♗d2 ♗xd2 8.♘xd2 O-O 9.c4 Alekhine gives Reti credit for having played the opening very well. That is apart from his eccentric first move which we know today is not eccentric at all. 9...♘a6 After this white gets good play on the c-file.
9...c5 Alekhine stated this would not be especially good because of... 10.♘4b3 which he says threatens both Nxc5 and cxd5. However, after 10...♘a6 11.cxd5 ♘b4 black has a fully equal position.
10.cxd5±10...♘b4 11.♕c4 ♘bxd5 12.♘2b3 c6 13.O-O ♖e8 14.♖fd1 ♗g4 15.♖d2 ♕c8 16.♘c5 ♗h3 Offering a P which white cannot accept. 17.♗f3
17.♗xh3 Alekhine's analysis runs as follows. 17...♕xh3 Now is white plays 18.Nf3 black would only have a nominal advantage. but Alekhine is quite correct in that taking the P loses. 18.♘xb7 ♘g4 19.♘f3 ♘de3 20.fxe3 ♘xe3 21.♕xf7 ♔h8 22.♘h4 ♖f8 and wins.
(17.♗f3 ♗g4 18.♗g2 ♗h3 19.♗f3 ♗g4 20.♗g2) 17...♗g4 According to Alekhine this gives white three choices: exchange his B, acquiesce to a draw by repetition, or place it on an inferior square (h1). 18.♗g2 ♗h3 19.♗f3 ♗g4 Supposedly at this point Alekhine incorrectly claimed a draw by repitition, but the TD quickly ascertained it to be incorrect. The draw would come about only if Reti now plays 20.Bg2 20.♗h1 In truth this square is not inferior because on h1 the Bs range on the lonf diagonal is not compromised and it still defends the light squares around the K. 20...h5 Alekhine's intention id to exchange on g3 so as to weaken white's K. 21.b4 a6 First he plays a safety precaution against intrusion on b5. 22.♖c1 h4 23.a4 For his part Reti is preparing to play b4-b5. 23...hxg3 24.hxg3 ♕c7 25.b5 Alekhine called this consistent, but very risky and recommended 25.e4
25.e4 Alekhine wrote that white could meet the immediate threats against his K with this move, but the obstruction of the B's diagonal would at the same time end his hopes on the Q-side. He gave the following analysis to prove his point... 25...♘b6 26.♕d3 ♘bd7 This agrees with Stockfish, but black has no advantage; the position is equal after... 27.♘xd7 ♘xd7
25...axb5 26.axb5 Concerning his next move Alekhine wrote: "It seems almost incredible that this spectacular move not only stops white's attack but even brings him serious trouble." Purdy subjected this position to considerable analysis because he wanted to disprove the theory of Steinitz and Lasker that for a combination to be possible one must first have a considerable advantage. Stockfish is in complete agreement with Purdy...neither side can claim a considerable advantage and the chances are quite evenly balanced. 26...♖e3 The recommended engine move! The threat is 27. ..Rxg3+ with a winning attack. A Shootout from this position resulted in white scoring +1 -0 =4 so it's a reasonable conclusion that the position is pretty even. Every brilliancy requires the losers cooperation and that is exactly what Reti does with his next move. 27.♘f3 This loses. White has a couple of ways of keeping the chances even: 27.Bf3, 27.Kh2 which Alekhine incorrectly asserted loses, and 27.Rd3
27.bxc6 shows how black wins after 27...♖xg3 28.♗g2 ♘e3 This works here, too. 29.fxe3 ♗h3 30.♘f3 ♖xg2 31.♔h1 ♕g3 and black mates in at most 5 moves.
27.♔h2 ♖aa3 Alekhine gives this a ! and claims a win, but after 28.♘d3 ♗h5 29.♗xd5 ♘g4 30.♔g2 ♖xg3 31.fxg3 ♘e3 32.♔f2 ♘xc4 33.♗xc4 ♕d8 34.♘f4 In this extremely complicated position white has a slight advantage, but in five Shootouts scored +2 -0 =3 in some very long games. In human play the game could go either way.
27.♖d3 This is also a satisfactory defense for white. A likely continuation might be 27...♖xe2 28.♘xe2 ♗xe2 29.bxc6 bxc6 30.♗f3 ♗xd3 31.♘xd3 with equal chances.
27.♗f3 Everyone agrees that this is the best continuation, but Alekhine tried to convince his readers that black is better which is simply balderdash. The position is quite even. 27...♗xf3 28.exf3 cxb5 29.♘xb5 ♕a5 30.♖cd1 with equal chances. All five Shootouts were drawn. So, it seems that at best after 26... Re3 black has at best a draw against correct play. It's that last statement "against correct play" that is the key. Tal made a living out of introducing complications that might not have been successful against correct play!
27...cxb5 28.♕xb5 (28.♕d4 ♖a4 29.♘xa4 ♕xc1 30.♖d1 ♕c7 is also winning for black.) 28...♘c3 29.♕xb7 (29.♕c4 fails against 29...♖a4 30.♖xc3 ♖xc4 31.♖xc4 b6) 29...♕xb7 30.♘xb7 ♘xe2 31.♔h2 ♘e4 The beginning of a new combination, which, however, is the absolutely logical consequence of the previous maneuvers, aiming, after a series of 12 practically forced moves, at the capture of the N on b7 . (Alekhine) Sounds like malarkey. Black adds another piece to the attack and he is clearly winning, but it's doubtful Alekhine saw everything, move for move, through to the end. 32.♖c4 ♘xf2 This is the only correct move.
32...♗xf3 would be a mistake because after 33.♖xe4 (33.♗xf3 loses! 33...♘xd2 34.fxe3 ♘xc4 35.♘d6 ♖a4 36.♗xe2 ♘xd6) 33...♗xe4 34.fxe3 ♗xh1 35.♔xh1 ♘xg3 with a likely drawn ending.
32...♘xd2 also throws away the advantage. 33.♘xd2 ♖d3 34.♘c5 ♖xd2 35.♗xa8 only draws.
33.♗g2 (33.♘g5 does not help much 33...♘xh1 34.♖xg4 ♘hxg3) 33...♗e6
33...♗xf3 is still wrong. 34.♗xf3 ♖xf3 35.♖xe2 ♘d1 And, again, a draw is likely.
33...♘e4 would win another P, but it's pretty dull. 34.♖d8 ♖xd8 35.♘xd8 ♗xf3 36.♗xf3 ♘2xg3
34.♖cc2 In this complicated position Alekhine keeps finding the only moves that keep the win in hand. 34...♘g4 35.♔h3 He gets mated in 8 after 35.Kh1 Ra1+ 35...♘e5 36.♔h2 ♖xf3 37.♖xe2 (37.♗xf3 ♘xf3 38.♔g2 ♘xd2 39.♖xd2 ♗g4 wins.) 37...♘g4 38.♔h3 ♘e3 39.♔h2 Here 39...Nxc2, 39... Ng4+ and 39...Nxg2 all win easily. 39...♘xc2 40.♗xf3 ♘d4 Reti resigned and so ending an amazing game.
40...♘d4 41.♘d6 (41.♖f2 ♘xf3 42.♖xf3 ♖a2 43.♔g1 ♗d5 wins) 41...♘xf3 42.♔g2 ♘g5 with a won ending
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