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Conel Hugh O'Donel Alexander vs Mikhail Botvinnik
Nottingham (1936), Nottingham ENG, rd 1, Aug-10
Formation: King's Indian Attack (A07)  ·  0-1

ANALYSIS [x]

FEN COPIED

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Given 32 times; par: 60 [what's this?]

Annotations by Alexander Alekhine.      [77 more games annotated by Alekhine]

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Kibitzer's Corner
Mar-30-07  beatles fan: great notes
Aug-08-11  madhatter5: yes, and a very instructive game by Botvinnik, especially how after Be3 he went ...Nd4! because the other knight couldn't take it.
Sep-30-11  Mesterhakkeren: I love his notes!! What a bitter man!
Sep-30-11
Premium Chessgames Member
  keypusher: <If you play Botvinnik, it is even alarming to see him write his move down. Slightly short-sighted, he stoops over his score sheet and devotes his entire attention to recording the move in the most beautifully clear script; one feels that an explosion would not distract him and that examined through a microscope not an irregularity would appear. When he wrote down P-QB4 against me, I felt like resigning.>

- Alexander

Apr-09-12  Ulhumbrus: An alternative to 10 Nf4 is 10 f4. Then after 10...dxe4 11 dxe4 the f4 pawn may support the advance e4-e5.
Apr-09-12
Premium Chessgames Member
  scormus: Instructive lesson by Botvinnik. And pentrating notes - my old English Lit. teacher couldn't have put it any more barbed. <.... an anemic bishop> what a perfect description!
Aug-19-12  Tigranny: Alekhine goes along with Raymond Keene as the best annotators. Very instructive notes.
Nov-29-17
Premium Chessgames Member
  Mateo: Funny comment from Alexander quoted by keypusher. By the way, Alexander was part of the cryptographic team surrounding Alan Turing, who decoded the famous Enigma code. He can be seen in the movie The Imitation game, where he is played by actor Matthew Goode.
Jul-08-18
Premium Chessgames Member
  Fischerfriend: 'The books' recommend 10.ed ed and only then 11.Nf4, after which Black would have problems defending his d pawn.
Feb-09-19
Premium Chessgames Member
  Penguincw: When Alexander said (which is most likely misquoted, but corrected by <keypusher> above):

< "Slightly shortsighted, [Botvinnik] stoops over his score sheet and devotes his entire attention to recording the move in the most beautifully clear script; one feels that an explosion would not distract him and that examined through a microscope not an irregularity would appear. When he wrote down 1...c2-c4 against me, I felt like resigning." >

Alexander must have referred to this game.

Oct-22-20  SymphonicKnight: It is interesting that Stockfish generally disagrees with Alekhine's criticisms and recommendations. I will have to further test Alekhine's notes to see how objective they really are.
Feb-12-24
Premium Chessgames Member
  John Saunders: Move 16 is clearly marked 16 QKt-K2 (Nde2) in both CHESS and BCM. The Glasgow Herald has the ambiguous Kt-K2. Sources: Glasgow Herald, 15 August 1936; BCM, September 1936, p428; CHESS, October 1936, Vol.2/14, p59.
Feb-12-24  stone free or die: <tb G-4 p26> has 16.QKt-K2 as well, with the comment:

<"Only shortens the ends. The threats 16... , Kt-K4 or eventually (in the case of 16. Kt-Kt1 for instance); 16..., Kt-Kt5 were too strong">

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