chessgames.com

Alexander Alekhine vs Andre Lilienthal
Hastings 1933/34 (1933)  ·  English Opening: King's English. Two Knights' Variation General (A22)  ·  1-0
To move:
Last move:

Click Here to play Guess-the-Move
Never given; click here to play! [what's this?]

explore this opening
find similar games 1 more Alekhine/Lilienthal game
sac: 22.Qxd8+ PGN: download | view Help: general | java-troubleshooting

TIP: To flip the board (so black is on the bottom) either press F or click on the d7 square.

PGN Viewer:  What is this?
For help with this chess viewer, please see the Pgn4web Quickstart Guide.

Kibitzer's Corner
Apr-29-05  Runemaster: A classic 2R v Q battle, not surprisingly handled superbly by Alekhine. The many technical difficulties are overcome by clever tactics.

First off, I think it is instructive (as is often the case with endgames of the great players) how A. lets some pawns go (such as e4 and c4 on moves 27 and 28) in the interests of concentrating on what's really important in the position - white's 'h' pawn, assisted by the 'g' pawn.

I suppose the principle is similar to that in a pure Q ending - given how powerful the queen is, the speed of passed pawns is more important than the number of them. Here, the 'h' pawn ties down the black Q, so while one of the rooks supports the pawn, the other is free to invade the black position.

Apr-29-05  Runemaster: 32.Rde1 stops the BK from coming to the K-side to help the Q.

35.Re6! sets up 36.g5, pulling the BQ out of its blockading position.

All the way through, of course, Alekhine avoids the greatest danger in these types of positions, that of losing a rook to a Q-fork.

52.Rh4+ stops the BQ checking on c4 once the 'h' pawn queens.

Overall, the ending is an important illustration of one aspect of the 2R v Q debate - it might be easier to handle the queen than the rooks, but if the rooks have a passed pawn that can tie down the queen, they can overrun the enemy position. It helps if you are Alekhine, too, of course.

Dec-29-06  Hidden Skillz: i've seen this game few years ago, and it struck me how alekhine could outplay what it seemed a good defense by black
Apr-21-10  krippp: Doesn't <51.Rc8??> lose the win? After <51..Qxc8 52.Rh4+ Kf3!> Black ought to have a perpetual, for the Black King now supports the vitally important e3-square:

<53.h8=Q Qe6+
54.Kb1 Qe1+
55.Kc2 Qf2+
56.Kc3 Qc5+
57.Kd3 Qe3+>
, perpetual check.

May-15-10  moonrain: Indeed. At first glance the only check is
on c4. That's why Rh4+. So did not Alekhin himself see Qe6+..?
NOTE: You need to pick a username and password to post a reply. Getting your account takes less than a minute, totally anonymous, and 100% free--plus, it entitles you to features otherwise unavailable. Pick your username now and join the chessgames community!
If you already have an account, you should login now.
Please observe our posting guidelines:
  1. No obscene, racist, sexist, or profane language.
  2. No spamming, advertising, or duplicating posts.
  3. No personal attacks against other users.
  4. Nothing in violation of United States law.
Blow the Whistle See something which violates our rules? Blow the whistle and inform an administrator.


NOTE: Keep all discussion on the topic of this page. This forum is for this specific game and nothing else. If you want to discuss chess in general, or this site, you might try the Kibitzer's Café.
Messages posted by Chessgames members do not necessarily represent the views of Chessgames.com, its employees, or sponsors.
Spot an error? Please submit a correction slip and help us eliminate database mistakes!
This game is type: CLASSICAL (Disagree? Please submit a correction slip.)

Featured in the Following Game Collections [what is this?]
a pp pushed by RR
from 04_Q:RR by whiteshark
White death down H file
from Grega's favorite games by Grega
2R vs. Q
from Endgame technique by zorro
advanced pawn motif
from Queen Sacrifices -3 by obrit
Round 3 (Friday, December 29)
from Hastings 1933/34 by Phony Benoni
Book of Samurai's favorite games 2
by Book of Samurai
ESTRATEGIAS DE KOBLENTS
by LESTRADAR
World champions plays English Opening
by Bharata
TITANS vs. GIANTS
by laskereshevsky
Game 121
from Guess-the-Move Chess: 1920-1939 (Part 1) by Anatoly21


home | about | login | logout | F.A.Q. | your profile | preferences | Premium Membership | Kibitzer's Café | Biographer's Bistro | new kibitzing | chessforums | Tournament Index | Player Directory | World Chess Championships | Opening Explorer | Guess the Move | Game Collections | ChessBookie Game | Chessgames Challenge | Little ChessPartner | privacy notice | contact us
Copyright 2001-2013, Chessgames Services LLC
Web design & database development by 20/20 Technologies