| Moscow (1925) |
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At the end of the USSR Championship (1925), Efim Bogoljubov emerged as the champion. He had participated as a Russian national although he was living in Triberg, Germany at the time. Nikolai Vasilyevich Krylenko, head of the Soviet Chess Association, in an effort to popularize chess in the Soviet Union, organized an international tournament of the scope seen in New York (1924) a year earlier. (1) The event was held in the Metropol Hotel in Moscow (2) from November 7 to December 10. In addition to the Soviet Champion, ten foreign masters, including Emanuel Lasker and Jose Raul Capablanca, the former and current World Champions respectively, and ten Soviet players were invited to compete in the round robin format. Before the start of the tournament pundits expected a repeat of New York, with Capablanca and Lasker racing each other to the finish, but once it was under way Bogoljubov was the one who performed supremely, ultimately winning the tournament ahead of the two favorites. His victory was hailed as a Soviet triumph, and in truth the tournament was an unprecedented success for the Revolution. Hundreds of Soviet citizens gathered at the hotel to follow the games, and tens of thousands across the country awaited news from Moscow each day. The celebration would be a bittersweet one for Soviet Russia, however, as Bogoljubov would never participate in another Soviet event. He defected a year later and eventually became a German citizen, earning him the moniker "renegade" (as Alekhine had). It was also a tournament that would be of enormous historical importance. Footage of the tournament appeared in the silent film Chess Fever (Shakhmatnaya Goryachka) and footage of Capablanca was shot in Moscow for the film. Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8A... Moscow, Soviet Union (Russia), 10 November - 9 December 1925 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 Pts
1 Bogoljubov * ½ 0 ½ 1 1 0 ½ 1 1 ½ 1 1 ½ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 15½
2 Lasker ½ * ½ 1 ½ 0 ½ 1 ½ 1 1 1 1 1 0 ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 1 14
3 Capablanca 1 ½ * 1 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 1 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 1 1 13½
4 Marshall ½ 0 0 * ½ 0 1 1 ½ 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 ½ 0 ½ 1 1 12½
=5 Tartakower 0 ½ 0 ½ * ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 ½ 1 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ 12
=5 Torre 0 1 ½ 1 ½ * ½ 0 ½ ½ 0 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ 0 1 1 1 1 12
=7 Reti 1 ½ ½ 0 0 ½ * 1 0 1 1 ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ 11½
=7 Romanovsky ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ 1 0 * 1 0 ½ 1 0 0 1 1 1 ½ 1 1 1 11½
=9 Grünfeld 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 0 * 1 ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ 1 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ 10½
=9 Ilyin-Zhenevsky 0 0 1 1 ½ ½ 0 1 0 * ½ 0 1 ½ 0 ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 1 10½
11 Bohatirchuk ½ 0 0 0 ½ 1 0 ½ ½ ½ * ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 10
=12 Verlinsky 0 0 1 0 0 0 ½ 0 ½ 1 ½ * 1 1 1 ½ 0 1 ½ 1 0 9½
=12 Spielmann 0 0 ½ 0 0 ½ 1 1 ½ 0 ½ 0 * 1 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ 0 1 9½
=12 Rubinstein ½ 0 ½ 0 0 ½ ½ 1 1 ½ 0 0 0 * 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 9½
15 Levenfish 0 1 ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ 1 ½ 0 0 0 * 1 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ 9
16 Rabinovich 0 ½ ½ 0 0 ½ 0 0 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 0 * 1 ½ 1 1 1 8½
17 Yates 0 0 0 ½ 0 1 0 0 0 0 ½ 1 ½ 1 0 0 * 1 ½ 0 1 7
=18 Sämisch 0 ½ 0 1 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 0 0 ½ ½ 0 * 0 1 0 6½
=18 Gotthilf 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ 0 0 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ 1 * 0 ½ 6½
20 Dus Chotimirsky 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 * 1 6
21 Zubarev 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 0 1 0 0 ½ 0 0 1 ½ 0 * 4½
(1) Wikipedia article: Moscow 1925 chess tournament. (2) Wikipedia article: Hotel Metropol (Moscow).Original collection: Game Collection: Moscow 1925, by
User: suenteus po 147. Chess Fever on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TN6...
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| page 1 of 9; games 1-25 of 210 |
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< Earlier Kibitzing · PAGE 2 OF 2 ·
Later Kibitzing> |
Mar-31-15
 | | HeMateMe: Capa, Flohr and Nimzo were all better than Bogo, at this point in time. |
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Mar-31-15
 | | keypusher: <HeMateMe: Capa, Flohr and Nimzo were all better than Bogo, at this point in time.> If by <at this point in time> you mean 1934, you're quite wrong about Nimzowitsch, who was dropping like a stone and died a year later. Capa's low ranking on the April 1934 chessmetrics list (when the match began) is the result of inactivity, but it's hard to rate someone who isn't playing. Kashdan, Flohr, and Euwe were all rated (slightly) higher than Bogoljubov. Of course, Euwe got his shot a year later. http://chessmetrics.com/cm/CM2/Sing... |
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Mar-31-15
| | HeMateMe: Flohr and Capa were two of the best players of the 30s. I can't believe they were not more deserving than Bogo II. |
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Mar-31-15
 | | WCC Editing Project:
I have compiled a comparative presentation of results among <POTENTIAL OPPONENTS> for Alexander Alekhine between Alekhine - Bogoljubov World Championship Match (1929) (6 Sept - 12 Nov 1929) and
Alekhine - Bogoljubov World Championship Rematch (1934) (1 April - 14 June 1934) The potential opponents are limited here to <Capablanca, Nimzowitsch, Kashdan, Flohr, Euwe, Bogoljubov>. The list is here- you can examine many of the events and play through many of the head to head encounters as well: Game Collection: WCC: Alekhine-Bogoljubov 1934 ARCHIVE Contenders |
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Mar-31-15
| | WCC Editing Project:
<HeMateMe> I have to agree with <keypusher's> post, but I'm sure everyone (where have you gone, man?) would have preferred to see an <Alekhine-Capablanca> rematch. As <keypusher> notes, though, <Capablanca's> extended absence from competitive play makes him tough to handicap from a "results" perspective. He barely had any results during this period to analyze. |
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Mar-31-15
 | | perfidious: Golombek conjectured on Capa's long absence from tournament play following New York 1931 in his collection, but has it ever been made clear why he stayed out of action? |
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| Mar-31-15 | | Marmot PFL: <Capa, Flohr and Nimzo were all better than Bogo, at this point in time.> Also Botvinnik at Nottingham beat Bogo in 25 moves (with black). However Botvinnik would probably not have challenged Alekhine until he thought he could be reasonably sure of winning (1938 or later). He might have beaten Euwe, but Euwe was committted to a rematch with Alekhine. |
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Apr-01-15
 | | offramp: I once suggested (at Alexander Alekhine (kibitz #2965)) that Alekhine burned out quite quickly after 1935. But I was wrong! He had, like many great players (Karpov for example) a very powerful second wind and was playing strongly throughout the Nazi era. As regards an Alekhine-Capablanca Match, I gave my thoughts at Jose Raul Capablanca (kibitz #1748). The gist of it is <A rematch would have been under identical rules - ie the first to 6 wins. In 1930, in a post-Wall St-Crash world, which mental midget entrepreneur was going to write a blank check for a match between a stronger Alekhine and a better-prepared Capablanca?? A match of - what? - 40 games? 50 games??> But this isn't really the place to talk about that rematch. This should be a joyous occasion! |
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Apr-01-15
| | keypusher: <WCC Editing Project> Game Collection: WCC: Alekhine-Bogoljubov 1934 ARCHIVE Contenders Thanks, very interesting. |
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| Apr-01-15 | | Marmot PFL: <I once suggested (at Alexander Alekhine (kibitz #2965)) that Alekhine burned out quite quickly after 1935. But I was wrong! He had, like many great players (Karpov for example) a very powerful second wind and was playing strongly throughout the Nazi era.> Alekhine's level from the mid-20s to the early 30s was extraordinarily high so some decline was inevitable. Working capacity is limited and there were younger rivals coming along who grew up studying Alekhine as he had studied Lasker, Capa and Rubinstein. Up until 1943 Alekhine still played very well, although the competition during the war years was not so strong. After that he moved to Portugal, had financial and political problems, began to smoke and drink more heavily and went downhill. |
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Apr-01-15
| | offramp: Was this the tournament during which Capablanca undertook a big journey to play a simultaneous display against some very strong players, lost quite a few and struggled for the rest of the tournament? |
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Apr-01-15
| | keypusher: <offramp: Was this the tournament during which Capablanca undertook a big journey to play a simultaneous display against some very strong players,> Yes
<lost quite a few >
Depends on how you define a few
<and struggled for the rest of the tournament?> No.
The simul was in Leningrad on November 20th, an off-day. Capablanca vs Botvinnik, 1925
Going into the simul, as we can see Capa had scored an anemic +2-1=5. (He had started badly at New York the year before also.) He lost the first game after the simul, in dreadful fashion (Capablanca vs Verlinsky, 1925) but overall scored +7-1=4 after coming back. He lost four out of 30 games at the simul, which is a lot for him but not bad given how strong his opponents were. He also played several simuls in Moscow while the tournament was in progress, according to <paladin at large>. |
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Apr-01-15
| | WCC Editing Project:
Thanks <Scott>, means a lot to me coming from you. |
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Apr-01-15
| | WCC Editing Project:
<Capablanca> on his experience at <Moscow 1925>: <"Although very philosophical, very observant and completely dispassionate in my judgment about everything concerning chess and its great exponents, I was nonetheless <<<unable to understand>>> the curious phenomenon that was occurring. I could comprehend perfectly well that my own work was not at all effective, but I could not see anything outstanding in that of the other players."> -Edward Winter, "Capablanca" p.128 |
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Apr-02-15
| | offramp: After looking at Capablanca's games from this tournament, Alekhine must have realised that he had a serious chance of winning a match with Capablanca. Even the win v Bogoljubov is unconvincing. |
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| Apr-02-15 | | Howard: Granted, New York 1924 and Moscow 1925 were not exactly two of Capablanca's better tournaments.... ...but then what about New York 1927. Alekhine's confidence was probably a bit shaken by Capa's performance in that one ! |
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Apr-02-15
| | offramp: But Alekhine must have been delighted to see Capablanca as lost as the Holy Grail after only <14 moves> in his game against Verlinsky. |
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| Mar-01-16 | | The Kings Domain: This was the tournament that probably foreshadowed the Soviet dominance of the game to come. The film "Chess Fever" that featured the tournament is a delightful little charmer. :-) |
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Mar-01-16
| | perfidious: <.......what about New York 1927. Alekhine's confidence was probably a bit shaken by Capa's performance in that one> That event may well have redoubled Alekhine's bottomless well of determination and served as a reminder that, only through unstinting effort, could he overcome Capablanca. Capa's fine result at New York may, conversely, have made him overconfident in anticipation of Buenos Aires. |
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Jun-24-20
| | perfidious: <HMM: Flohr and Capa were two of the best players of the 30s. I can't believe they were not more deserving than Bogo II.> During the Pasadena event held in summer 1932 and won by Alekhine, he granted an interview, during which he named Isaac Kashdan and Flohr as two possible challengers in days to come. It was going to be a cold day in perdition before Capablanca got a shot at regaining what he had once styled 'his title', though I completely agree: on his merits, he certainly should have. |
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| Sep-07-20 | | Sally Simpson: ***
V.Y. Yeremeyev in his 1968 book 'First Steps.' relates that he was the official guide for Capablanca in 1925. They went from Moscow to Kiev by train but had to fly back from Kiev. It transpires that Capablanca did not have much faith in the waiting single engined aircraft. (Yeremeyev adds that Capa said he had never been in an aircraft before.) So before taking off Capablanca insisted on making out his last will and testament. He gave it to Yeremeyev who reminded Capa if anything happened, it would happen to both of them. It was left in the custody of the Kiev airport superintendent. **** |
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Sep-15-20
| | perfidious: One small indication of how tough this event was: most players had to face Lasker and Capablanca back to back. |
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May-21-22
| | perfidious: One point worthy of mention in my mind is Marshall's fourth-place finish; Bogolyubov was very much a force in tournament play at this time, and winning at Moscow ranked as his greatest achievement, with only Alekhine missing of the world elite; the indomitable Lasker taking a distant second; and Capablanca, pulling himself together after an indifferent first half, to come in a creditable third place. |
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Jun-11-22
 | | kingscrusher: Brilliant tournament for Bogoljubov - no wonder he got to World rank #1 for a couple of months: http://www.chessmetrics.com/cm/CM2/... Best World Rank: #1 (2 different months between the January 1927 rating list and the February 1927 rating list ) |
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Dec-28-22
 | | FSR: This was Bogo's greatest tournament. He finished 1.5 points ahead of the best player on the planet, and 2 points ahead of Capablanca. |
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