CHESS

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVII, 6 December 1927, Page 7

CHESS

ALEKHINE’S VICTORY. A LONG DRAWN EIGHT. The world’s championship match, between Capablanca and Alekhine, in Buenos Ayres, net a new duration record of its kind. It has, nevertheless, aroused far more interest than any previous contest for world’s championship honours. Alek hiue won the championship after 34 games, winning six to three by Capablanca, while 25 were drawn. The ’ twenty-second game was the longest of the series, reaching 86 moves before a draw was agree upon. During the progress of the sixteenth game Alekhine devoted nineteen minutes to a move, during which time Capablanca fell asleep, and had to be awakened when it was his turn to move.

As previously stated, and as a writer in the New York “Times” amusingly puts it: These birds have to play till somebody wins six games. They have played twenty-two so far, and only six to a decision. Can you picture those frantic Argentinians paying the feed bills all winter as the two great masters, oblivious to all else, play one drawn game after another I Anyhow, they brought it on themselves. In this sixteenth game, in which Alekhine took so long studying the board before he reached forward and made a daring, if somewhat delayed, move, all eyes wore then on Capablanca. There ho was, taking his ease like Falstali in his inn, while his opponent’s brain was, working under forced draught. And what if Dr Alekhine had refused to allow anyone to wake Senor Capablanca? Would Alekhine have won by default? Both challenger and champion are interest ing players. The Cuban, before he took to sleeping, was wont to walk up and down furiously while his oppon ent was trying to decide what moves to make. This was to Capablanca what road work is to Gene Tunney. It kept him in great condition, dnd ever and anon he would pause to stare at his opponent’s game as who should say: “My word, what a fix you’re in, old top!” As for Alekhine he is a person of international importance. He was born and brought up in Russia, and learned his chess there but his great skill in defending his King roused the suspicions of the Soviet, which, as is well known, has no fondness for kings of any kind. This royalist, therefore, was chased out of Russia, and adopted France as a foster nation. Now that his fame as a chess master has spread round the world, the Soviet wants him back again. Alekhine was once in a Russian, prison, a political prisoner under sentence of death, and it was only an hour before the timefixed for his execution that word arrived from Moscow granting him reprieve—a close call! No wonder he is not accepting the Soviet invitation to return.