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Max Euwe vs Alexander Alekhine
Euwe - Alekhine World Championship Rematch (1937), Amsterdam NED, rd 13, Nov-03
Slav Defense: Czech Variation. Classical System (D18)  ·  1-0

ANALYSIS [x]

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Kibitzer's Corner
Aug-11-04
Premium Chessgames Member
  beatgiant: The positional combination starting with 13. d5 is very impressive. In fact, after 11. ♗xe4, it looks like Black has nothing but undesirable choices at every turn.

A possible improvement is 17...f4, aiming to dissolve one of the weaknesses.

Another try is 19...♖f6, tying down a whole rook to keep the pawn structure intact. Alekhine was not likely to consider such a defensive posture. But I don't see any immediate way for White to exploit the various advantages in that case.

After that, it looks bad for Black, but I'm not prepared to say exactly at what moment it becomes hopeless. Maybe a master player or one with a computer could offer an opinion on that?

Aug-11-04  Calli: Euwe has big advantage in the endgame by move 19. I have Alekhine's or Euwe's notes to this game somewhere. Will get back to you.
Aug-28-04
Premium Chessgames Member
  beatgiant: It is certainly hopeless after Black loses the a-pawn. I think 37...♔d5 could be an improvement. Does anyone see a strong or winning continuation for White in that case?
Aug-29-04  Calli: Still tend to think that the ending is lost.

37...Kd5 38.Na3 Rb2? 39.Rc8 and White is in control. Therefore Black should play 38...Rc5, but it seems that white can play against the Black King in the center. 39.Bf4 (threat Be3) Rg4 40.Be3 Re4 41.Rh5 Ke5 42.Rd3 Nc2 43.f4+ or something similar.

I still have not found the original notes. I remember that Euwe's 13.d5! refutes Alekhine's opening. The moves were already played before in the 9th game of the match. Euwe somewhere commits a minor inaccuracy which prolongs the game. Maybe 19.Rad1 is better than a5. Alekhine, IIRC, claimed that Black was fine after 19...Rf6, but Euwe disputed that in his annotations.

Mar-05-05  DWINS: Purdy says, if 19...Rf6, then 20.Nc2 Na6
21.Nxb4 Nxb4 22.Bd2 Nc6 23.Bc3 with a decisive advantage.
Aug-31-07  kevin86: I like the unusual exchane sequence at moves 41-44. I did leave Alekhine with a lost ending-three good pawns vs a doubled set.
Sep-03-07
Premium Chessgames Member
  tamar: 38...Rg7 looks suspect, the more Alekhine-like 38...Re6 would stake everything on piece play.

Here is one line where Shredder finds that Black can give up all his Kingside pawns and focus on the square f2.

38...Re6 39 Rxf7+ Ka6 40 Bf4 Nb5 (the key idea, bringing the knight to e4 via Nd6)

41 Bg3

(if 41 Bd2 Nd6 42 Rf8 Ne4 43 Rxf5 Rd6
44 Ke1 Rb2 45 g3 Re6 -.60/17)

41...Nd6 42 Rf8 Ne4!


click for larger view

Here White would be advised to take a draw with 43 Ra8+ Kb7 44 Rb8+ as taking with 43 Rxf5 leads to a bad ending.

Apr-08-08  Knight13: Okay so on "the page" Euwe admires Alekhine's endgame skill. In this game, Euwe's the one shining on the stage!!
Jan-04-12  King.Arthur.Brazil: After looking at first games, here seems that EUWE tried give back the poison of AA in his last defeat, with 10.Bd3!? If Nxc3 11.bxc3 Bxc3 12.Rb1! Rb8 or Qc7 or b6 (If Bxd3 13.Qxd3 Ba5 14.Ba3!!!) 13.Ba3!! or 12...0-0 13. Bxf5 exf5 14.Rxb7 treating Qa6 or Qc4 white best! The theme: B diagonal a3-f8 is the same!
Jan-04-12  King.Arthur.Brazil: For me 17. Nd4 is a little weak! White has 17.Ne5! which defends the Q, and after Q exchange, puts N on c6 with a tempo for Ra1 and b4!
Jan-04-12  King.Arthur.Brazil: TAMAR- your idea is OK!But, EUWE would not lose 2 tempos (Bf4-Bg3) 40.Nd2 (didn't give e4 to your N!)Nb5 41.Rxf5 Nd6 42.Rd5 Ne4 43. Nxe4 Rxe4 44.Rd6 and you must study if this will give Black win after Rb1...h4...
Dec-04-14  RookFile: Euwe was very strong in the Slav games, whether white or black.
Nov-07-15  jemptymethod: I am playing through all of the games from the match book with Euwe's and Alekhine's annotations and this one right in the middle is my favorite so far (even more so than game 7), with the swings of initiative, and Alekhine's pretty moves in a losing effort.
Nov-07-15  Howard: Oh, yes, I once had a copy of the match book---it was put out by Dover books.

Euwe won the first game, as I recall. But by the 7th or 8th game, the match was becoming a one-way street.

Jun-05-19  nummerzwei: 11.Bxe4 is awkward and would have led to very little after 11...Bxe4 12.bxc3 c5! (12...0-0 13.Nd2) 13.Ba3 0-0 =.
Jul-06-19
Premium Chessgames Member
  woldsmandriffield: Euwe won this game thanks to a one-move blunder by Alekhine: 39..Nf3? Instead, all the White pawns disappear after 39..Ne6! 40 Bxg7 Nxf8 41 Bf8 Rf2+ 42 Ke1 Rxg2 43 h3 Rh3.

Alekhine presumably thought Black was better before playing ..Nf3.

Nov-10-19  paulthebox: From Euwes notes on this game, improvements would have been 26. g3 for white and for black, 38... Rgc6 and 39... Rxf2+

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