Im old. My grandmother went to a few tournaments where Alekhine played. Both players and spectators looked upon him as a God. And an incredible speed chess player he was. She said she saw him "loosen up" with a few blitz games in the hotel where she and the players were staying and he NEVER lost a single game. Rarely more than 2 seconds to make a move he decimated everybody with just a couple of annoying draws during the whole stay of the tournament. Awesome.
Yeah, it might be that we expect people from the past to have dramatic deep voices. But Freud, Einstein, Houdini and a lot of other people who are on sound recording all had high voices. Capablanca also had a surprisingly high voice, and it looks like Alekhine too.
Considering that English was probably his 3rd or 4th language (native Russian) he had a great gift for language skills as well. He lived in France and was held by the Germans during WWII
@60smusicrules I thought it was during WW1 he was 'held by the Germans', along with Bogolubov? He was accused of being a Nazi sympathiser in relation to WWII.
@@kozjevime1 What a stupid remark. Bobby Fischer was betrayed by his own government. He had beaten the entire Soviet Chess world, became World Champion, but eventually he was prosecuted and persecuted by his own government just for playing chess. Ridiculous.
When Alekhine commented on games in his books, it's just crazy to see how at home he was analyzing incredibly complicated positions, long before they had computers to help out. The sort of position that would make most analysts throw up their hands and say, "It's unclear" -- that was exactly his element.
In mega complicated positions he never lost when having an advantage. I remember Karpov when he was reigning supreme said about Alekhine "Once in his grasp there was no escape" !!
lucy bond Yes, Jim Morrison is buried in Paris. His grave is a very popular visit for tourists. His headstone is covered with lipstick kisses as is the headstone of Jean Paul Sartre.
YESSS! THE GREATEST OF ALL - MOVES IN THE REALM OF UNIMAGINABLE. THAT IS WHY RUN AWAY FROM BOLSHEVIK MURDERERS IN RUSSIA BUT GOT KILLED IN LISBON IN HOTEL ROOM SWHERE HE LIVED SECLUDED FROM BOLSHEVIK MONSTERS!
To me hes the greatest ever to play chess Why? Modern players are empowred by preparing games usjng stockfish ... Plus alekhine has the most win average 74% of his matches are win Most players have over 40% of their games are only draws Even capa
@@MrSupernova111 He didn't actually refuse a rematch with Capablanca but the Cuban was unable to raise the necessary prize money because sponsors were unwilling to back him since they considered Alekhine the better player.
I think it’s still true. They had theory back then, but let’s say you have no opening knowledge but you play just like stockfish. Theoretically you should still win a fair amount of games no? A good example of this is capablanca who started without opening theory and played decent openings still. You can look at capablanca my chess career to see his really early games it’s really cool.
Of course that’s a debatable stand point I guess I should say the point still can be made today that chess does not take good memory. And requiring good memory and having it help are 2 pretty different things.
@@codythecaster8962 alekhine s opinion is a bit too optimistic, for capablanca, when playing with no opening prep and winning, is using memory too, and you can see it in many different ways.. He immediately makes his own property of positions and patterns usen in the last game, and also when calculating a long combination he uses his memory (I know capablanca could almost play without calculating, but this is true for some positions only. There will always be tactics in chess and they are the first part of it). So, I think you need memory, then of course the stronger you are the more you play intuitively, positional soundly, so not too much calculation (capa, Karpov..) and even in some cases of deep calculus, I feel as if the top gm somehow "sees" the variant, "sees" the move, without much calculation (tal, alekhine..) (kasparov instead was 90% calculation, that's why I will never say he was "a better player" than botv, smyslov, Petrosian, Karpov, and tal as well)
@@leonardobaracchi7040 I mean yeah, like I said it is 100% debatable, I'm just saying I definitely see where Alekhine is coming from. But like, by no means do I necessarily disagree with you.
I think there's a thing as "chess memory". You play slow chess a lot it naturally develops because you burn a lot of time looking at positions and calculating. Maybe some people faster than others depending on how good their general memory is, but I think anyone who plays over time gets to this point one way or another. So being a good chess player is not dependent on memory long term, but I think it helps when you're starting out because you develop the "chess memory" faster. But once you get there, remembering lines/ideas at that point almost becomes intuitive.
My 2 chess heroes are: A. A. Alekhine and R. J. Fischer. With these 2 geniuses of chess, no compromised outcome guaranteed, they fought hard till the end with beauty and fierce: they possessed noble chess minds, genuine professionals and artists of chess. I'm impressed with his good English, and the clarity of his explanation, despite his "weird" accent which I didn't expect. For those who don't know Alekhine was a mathematician.
What would your accent be like if you had to speak Russian ? Every foreigner, who learns a foreign language, has an accent in the target language. Yet he can have an excellent command of that language.
Capablanca no fue capaz de reunir el dinero para poder jugar contra Alekhine, según sus propias normas de 1922 en Londres. Además durante el transcurso del match quiso cambiar esas reglas (iba perdiendo 3-2 y hubo 9 empates en los que teniendo ventaja en el final no pudo doblegar al ruso), cosa que Alekhine no aceptó. Antes de hablar hay que documentarse y no fantasear con mitos y leyendas.
@@MrSupernova111 If the truth is that you are Capablanca's grandson it doesn't hurt one little bit. As your response is cryptic I don't know what you're getting at and so your response is unsatisfactory. My point (obviously) is that you seem to on some warped crusade relating to what you believe to be the situation between Alekhine and Capablanca. Why you feel this way I don't know - hence the sarcasm about you being related to Capablanca. So what the truth hurting has to do with anything I really can't determine. Are you always obtuse and obscure?
@alecksandrkoblents This is just incredibly interesting to me. I play through his games all the time as I find the time, and it is just soooooo much fun to actually hear his voice.
RIP. The greatest chess player in history with The highest achievement “ 74.1%. Giving he lived before 1950, he exceeds Kasparov and Fischer. The older the generation the more talent exist. Kasparov is the modified copy of Alekhine , Karpov is the modified copy of Capablanca.
Against Ernst Grunfeld, first time latter player played the opening named after him... The 2nd day of the game alekhine came back knowing he was in a losing position hoping grunfeld would have sealed a blunder. Upon noticing the right move had been sealed he threw the king across the room. :D fun story
@@dannygjk . That's how I remember it from my readings. Not only did Alekhine make it difficult for Capablanca to challenge him for the title but he also did everything possible to avoid Capablanca in regular tournament play.
@@MrSupernova111 I also saw many articles over the decades saying the same thing. Then one day maybe a few years ago I found an article with more details on the circumstances involved. The writer had a convincing source from that era and it made sense. It wasn't as simple as Alekhine was merely dodging a rematch.
I think the question was misunderstood. Alekhine was talking about short term memory - as in during a game do you require this memory? No. But long term memory of remembering thousands of past positions and using them to inform a present position, yes of course. Vision-LongTermMemory working together with present positional requirements.
I think you're right. Certainly Alekhine had a great memory, as most top chess players do. Even I, as just an 1800 player, can remember all the moves of a game I played without recording them at the time, and within a day or two can write them down so the game is belatedly recorded.
Before their Championship match Capablanca said Aljechin knows every high class game played in last 25-30 years and all games of high class players by heart. So it is a bit weird when Aljechin says memory is not so important in chess. Capablanca also said Aljechin has too weak nerves and not enough fighting spirit to beat cold and imaginative player in a long match.
@@JohnSmith-un9jm . Modern day masters would disagree. Just look at the excessive draws at GM level. They go memorizing their way to GM then refuse to play real chess in favor of memorized garbage that guarantees them a draw.
While I agree that you need long term memory of remembering thousands of past positions and using them to inform a present position, I think you ALSO need short term memory. As a 1964 USCF rated chess player, I can tell you that it is an important skill to be able to envision future positions that can arise from the current position. Thus, it takes great short term memory to be able to envision and remember those positions.
@@JBades6310 . Yikes! I was kidding of course and 2120 is a solid rating. But for what its worth I plan to reach NM as an older adult. In 2018 I went from 1000 to 1650 USCF when I stopped playing OTB. This past weekend I played a rapid OTB event (15+5) and won 4 out of 5 games. This was my first OTB event since 2018. Won two games against 2000+ players and lost one to a 2300+ NM. As we stand my USCF rating is still 1650. I'm going to prove that when we get older we don't have to kill over.
@linktruman23 even Fischer said that a guy who doesn't have a gift for chess couldn't become a great chess player. he could be good though. there is a video of this on youtube even. it's an interview with dick cavett and it's called "a very different bobby fischer" iirc. don't disguise your own thoughts by putting them to fischer's mouth.
Fischer seems to be a conundrum. In the tv interview with Johnny Carson shortly after becoming WC he mentions that fitness is important to stay sharp in matches citing the 5 hrs sitting per game. Years later he got lost in his own mind and reverted many things he had said before!?🧐
@esraretin To reach the top in any sport, there are at least 7 elements needed: 1. you must be gifted, 2. as a child and later, you must have a stimulating environment, 3. you must have the occasion (money, time) and 4. the energy to 5. practice and study for hours and hours, 6. you must enjoy what you are doing and 7. you will still need that little bit of luck to get you at the top. But more important than reaching the top is: YOU CAN ENJOY PLAYING THE GUITAR OR A GAME OF CHESS AT ANY LEVEL !
Because he knew the board, new the patterns and as soon as each game had fallen into one of his patterns it was easy to remember. If all the players had played crazily, making up odd openings, Alekhine still would have won most but would have had a harder time remembering.
I consider Alekhine as the greatest chess genius the world has ever seen! I love France and the French for embracing him when he was persecuted by the then Soviet regime!
Each man's innovation is sharply limited by the state of the art in which he innovates. It is a more sweeping innovation, true, but it couldn't have been otherwise and be called an innovation of note because Chess was in a state where just such an innovation was called for. So the question is not who is the better craftsman, but which level of the craft is harder to develop and systematize assuming they had equal strength. Is it really "more difficult" to develop indirect control strategies?
Some one said before that to be the perfect chess player one should "play like an encyclopedia in the opening, like a magician in the middle-game, and like a machine in the end-game.' Alekhine fits the middle-game description perfectly. Put a Kasparov or Botvinnik in the opening and a Capablanca or Karpov or Carlsen in the end-game and you get the perfect chess player.
There are lots of things that require both aptitude and hard work. Not every person has the same potential to excel at every task, stating the very reasonable opinion that chess is a game that requires natural aptitude for excellence does not an asshole make. For example, name one single grandmaster with double digit IQ. Right there is an example of quite a large part of humanity (50%!!) that can't become great players with any amount of love for the game and hard work.
Is he implying there were great chess players born before chess was invented? Everything is learned. If your parents played chess, you have a gene that will kickstart you to maybe "500 rating" above any ordinary player at first, but you will still have to learn along with every master and beat them at their game.
Carlsen's opening is his weakest point. He will often get into trouble during openings, and will do his best to avoid theory heavy lines that rely on memory, going instead for positions in which he can rely on his strong intuition, such as simple positions or endgames.
To put such emphasis on memorization of variations as a source of chess strength you have revealed that you have no understanding of chess. Even an average club player such as myself knows this is false not only because of the mind boggling permutations possible in chess but because of what strong players say about chess skill.
Dan Kelly lol memorization might not be the vocal point in lower rated games. But in a game with two top GMs, memory is EXTREMLY important. All the top gms (Magnus, Fabiano, wesley etc) know every opening and have memorized every variation. With the use of computers, the top gms can even memorize a 20+ move line thats favorable. Calculation and imagination is still important but at te top level, memorization plays an even bigger part. Thats why a top gm can find himself in a position that would be hard for a beginner, but e would find it easy because he has seen the position millions of time and with the help of a database, memorized the favorable moves. At lower level chess, memory iwnt that important, but at the top level that magnus is at, memorization is VITAL. To suggest otherwise would be foolish and only reason you would disagree, would be that you are referring to lower level chess or you are one of those who just want to motivate players who dont have a strong memory
morphy the most innovative i disagree, id put nimzowitch in that category, i mean the whole hyper- modern movement was about as innovative as it gets / his whole theory on controlling the center from afar instead of placing peices in or near the center gave way to beautiful new openings that 19th century masters never saw,the indian defenses for example, however like capablanca pointed out, it was only the new aplication of the same fundamentals laid down by steinitz. morphy was simply genious
1) Morphy 2)Capablanca (those two barely studied the game, they were 100% naturals) 3) Fischer (worked like hell AND super talented) 4) Kasparov 5) The rest
YESSS! ALYECHIN - THE GREATEST OF ALL - MOVES IN THE REALM OF UNIMAGINABLE. THAT IS WHY RUN AWAY FROM BOLSHEVIK MURDERERS IN RUSSIA BUT GOT KILLED IN LISBON IN HOTEL ROOM WHERE HE LIVED SECLUDED FROM BOLSHEVIK MONSTERS!
fundhund62 kasparov did learn from many of Fischer games. Kasparov started being talented due to Fischers classical games and as you can see, kasparov plays at a very classical way. Fischer is actually regarded as the first classical chess players. After that all grandmaster like carlsen, kasparov etc learned from Fischer.
Alekhine talks some bullshit here. ofcourse a big part of chess is about having a good memory. Bobby Fisher said numerous times that a big part of chess is about memorization and prearrangements. Alekhine is just not aware of how much theory and memory is part of his game. i agree totaly with Fisher who wasnt trying to sugarcoat and romanticize chess. sure u look at each game with new eyes, but your routine as a good player relies on memory.
The reason why I'm hating chess. Prearranged moves. I agree that we should preserve the original game for history's sake but we should all move forward with Fischer Random.
***** Horse shit. Only weak players think that strong players have memorized a lot of lines. Strong players have developed a feel for the game enabling them to sift through the possibilities more efficiently. Also strong players do not calculate much. They are looking at weak points, where to best place their pieces, how to gain some initiative, and one of the things strong players do that weak players don't: they look at the position from both sides, trying to see what their opponent should do, that gives them some insight as to what the opponent might do which also reduces the amount of concrete calculation required. Strong players assess the position and brainstorm ideas and only then calculate necessary lines. Weak players calculate too much and so don't see the forest for the trees.
Dan Kelly we were talking about Fisher Random. he invented that because the start of the game is a lot of book and memorization. learn to read and understand what u read before starting to lecture people.
@linktruman23 Fischer himself said you have to be born with the predisposition to be great, and you said yourself that Fischer was naturally talented. Thjat is what Alekhine is saying: you must be born with a natural ability if you want to be great; it will not come from hard work alone. Obviously, he is not saying that to be great you don't have to work hard. To be the best you have to work incessantly, even with natural talent.
I am very lucky to own an original news wire photo of that picture, Alekhine dead in the hotel in Portugal,it was question weather the Germans poisoned him when he ate that last meal,he did die 10 months after the war,Germany wanted to clam Alekhine for Germany, and for him to be buried in Germany! not Russia! It was probably Hitter's last command before he died, to clam the great Alekhine for Germany! Alekhine's great honor was his great chess opening, the Alekhine defense that will live on forever!
Is the voice in this video supposedly Alekhine's ? It sounds just like the actor Edward Van Sloan, who portrayed Professor Van Helsing in the original Dracula starring Bela Lugosi ? Doesn't sound like a native Russian speaker at all, or even an eastern European ! Rather odd.
YESSS! ALYECHIN - THE GREATEST OF ALL - MOVES IN THE REALM OF UNIMAGINABLE. THAT IS WHY RUN AWAY FROM BOLSHEVIK MURDERERS IN RUSSIA BUT GOT KILLED IN LISBON IN HOTEL ROOM WHERE HE LIVED SECLUDED FROM BOLSHEVIK
0:59 Отравили Алехина, принесли тело в номер гостиницы, уложили в кресло, на столе расставили шахматы - сделали фотоотчёт об убийстве. После войны Алехину устроили еврейский бойкот от игроков и организаторов турниров, кто в основном евреи. Алехина никто не приглашал в турниры и игроки отказывались играть, если допустят Алехина. Алехин оказался без денег. Чтобы не допустить матча с "антисемитом" Алехиным, его убили - отравили, а нам врали, что он сам умер.
Is this Alekhin's voice in fact? How does anyone know for sure? Alekhin [Але́хин] was a Muscovite, and what I hear here is English spoken with an accent that is not Russian: neither vowels, consonants, nor inflexion. Is there another video where one can both see and hear him speaking?
Conrad Jenkings OK, but there is absolutely no hint of a French accent either. Listen to the way he trills his r's which is even less French than it is Russian. Also, he was introduced by the interviewer as "Doctor Alik-EEN" That's wrong; it should be Al-YAY-khin. I'm afraid this video is just a hoax.
Conrad Jenkings I have heard this interview before. It is supposed to be a BBC interview. He trills his Rs and sounds Germanic, so I would place the accent as maybe South German, or Austrian, maybe Swiss. Doesn't sound like a Russian.Too clipped, Doesn't have that famous Russian drawl, and the L is too light, not a trace of that dark Slavonic L. As you say, Conrad, he pronounced his name Al-YAY-khin, even though it is quite a common name in Russia, and just about every other Russian pronounces it Al-YO-khin, including one of the Pussy Riot hooligans, who had the surname Alyokhina. I, too, am certain this interview is a fake. But there again, there is some Dutch film footage of Capablanca, where he speaks in English like an Englishman. There is hardly a trace of a foreign accent.
@@jameshogan6142 I think you're right. However, his statement is a tad misleading. Alekhine was a great match player. His loss to Euwe was very narrow indeed, and allegedly due to him drinking and being over confident about his chances of beating Euwe.
@@davidcopson5800Yes Alekhine's play clearly suffered from over consumption of alcohol. At one time he was so inebriated that the ever sporting Euwe suggested that they postpone the game. Alekhine insisted on playing and offered a draw in a losing position which Euwe accepted since it gave him the title by one point.
I am sorry, I am not a Grandmaster. I shouldnt have never used as my username. Chess players work hard for this title and i just take. My name is Joel, i am not GMJoel B
Which is the funny part? Do you think other world champions don't do the same? Capablanca paved the foundation in many ways for future generations. But go on and amuse us.
Capablanca wanted a rematch but was unable to find a sponsor to put up the money because backers thought that Alekhine would win. A wealthy GM named Bogoljubow played him twice in the early i930's because he was able to raise the necessary capital.
Alekhine was just returning the favor because capablanca made excessively high financial demands for anyone to play him for the championship title and that was the reason why Alekhine made capablanca wait. Capablanca's ego was immense and Alekhine made him sit on it. Alekhine was the better player anyway.
sorry but that aint no real game folks no clocks, very casual even down to that epicine pushing of the pinky by Alekhine , that you pushover I can play even THIS but it makes you wonder if there is any more footage
yes and then dodged him for the remainder of his life, when they met again in a tournament capa destroyed him, this is why alekhine didnt give him a return match, he kissed capablancas ass and talked all nice about him so he would give him a shot and then after he got the title talked behind capas back all the time, yes alekhine at his best was a player of deep imaginative flair, but capa was the better player his style was so effortless he made chess look easy, a battle of titans no doubt
![Max Euwe and Alexander Aljechin signing contracts in Amsterdam for the revenge match. [1936]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/rMBqBb9Lv7w/mqdefault.jpg)
![Max Euwe and Alexander Aljechin signing contracts in Amsterdam for the revenge match. [1936]](/img/tr.png)
Im old. My grandmother went to a few tournaments where Alekhine played. Both players and spectators looked upon him as a God. And an incredible speed chess player he was. She said she saw him "loosen up" with a few blitz games in the hotel where she and the players were staying and he NEVER lost a single game. Rarely more than 2 seconds to make a move he decimated everybody with just a couple of annoying draws during the whole stay of the tournament. Awesome.
Like a god*
@@iannowwe Why would you make such a correction like that? Do you not understand that this is a metaphor
The sound of his voice isn't what I was expecting somehow.
Yeah, it might be that we expect people from the past to have dramatic deep voices. But Freud, Einstein, Houdini and a lot of other people who are on sound recording all had high voices. Capablanca also had a surprisingly high voice, and it looks like Alekhine too.
Add Teddy Roosevelt - of all people - to that list.
ruclips.net/video/uhlzdjPGxrs/видео.html
I wasn't expecting that too 😂
he sounds like my indian lecturer
"a great chess player is borrrrn"😂 with an arghrrrr😂😂
Considering that English was probably his 3rd or 4th language (native Russian) he had a great gift for language skills as well. He lived in France and was held by the Germans during WWII
+Micha Kuiper NEXT TO HIM IS BOBBY FISHER AND BOTH WERE TRAGICAL VICTIMS OF SAME MONSTERS AKA BOLSHEVIKS
Jsroslav Hus Bobby Fisher victim of Bolsheviks? How?
Yeah I hear the Germans always love a good game close by....
@60smusicrules I thought it was during WW1 he was 'held by the Germans', along with Bogolubov? He was accused of being a Nazi sympathiser in relation to WWII.
@@kozjevime1 What a stupid remark. Bobby Fischer was betrayed by his own government. He had beaten the entire Soviet Chess world, became World Champion, but eventually he was prosecuted and persecuted by his own government just for playing chess. Ridiculous.
Great that some of these old materials are still available. Thanks for sharing!
When Alekhine commented on games in his books, it's just crazy to see how at home he was analyzing incredibly complicated positions, long before they had computers to help out. The sort of position that would make most analysts throw up their hands and say, "It's unclear" -- that was exactly his element.
Which book do you recommend?
@@MrSupernova111 I would recommend On the Road to the World Championship by Alexander Alekhine 1923- 1927.
My favourite chess player, true legend!
In mega complicated positions he never lost when having an advantage. I remember Karpov when he was reigning supreme said about Alekhine "Once in his grasp there was no escape" !!
Fantastic old footage.Thank you so much for posting this and the others.
I made a pilgrimage to his grave. The graveyards in Paris are well worth a visit.
ma turner I envy you!
lucy bond Yes, Jim Morrison is buried in Paris. His grave is a very popular visit for tourists. His headstone is covered with lipstick kisses as is the headstone of Jean Paul Sartre.
One of the best players who ever lived
YESSS! THE GREATEST OF ALL - MOVES IN THE REALM OF UNIMAGINABLE. THAT IS WHY RUN AWAY FROM BOLSHEVIK MURDERERS IN RUSSIA BUT GOT KILLED IN LISBON IN HOTEL ROOM SWHERE HE LIVED SECLUDED FROM BOLSHEVIK MONSTERS!
The best
To me hes the greatest ever to play chess
Why?
Modern players are empowred by preparing games usjng stockfish ...
Plus alekhine has the most win average 74% of his matches are win
Most players have over 40% of their games are only draws
Even capa
Also one of the biggest cowards in chess. He avoided Capablanca like the plagued after winning the championship match in 1927.
@@MrSupernova111 He didn't actually refuse a rematch with Capablanca but the Cuban was unable to raise the necessary prize money because sponsors were unwilling to back him since they considered Alekhine the better player.
He said chess doesn't require good memory, I wish that were true nowadays with computers and rich theory.
I think it’s still true. They had theory back then, but let’s say you have no opening knowledge but you play just like stockfish. Theoretically you should still win a fair amount of games no? A good example of this is capablanca who started without opening theory and played decent openings still. You can look at capablanca my chess career to see his really early games it’s really cool.
Of course that’s a debatable stand point I guess I should say the point still can be made today that chess does not take good memory. And requiring good memory and having it help are 2 pretty different things.
@@codythecaster8962 alekhine s opinion is a bit too optimistic, for capablanca, when playing with no opening prep and winning, is using memory too, and you can see it in many different ways.. He immediately makes his own property of positions and patterns usen in the last game, and also when calculating a long combination he uses his memory (I know capablanca could almost play without calculating, but this is true for some positions only. There will always be tactics in chess and they are the first part of it).
So, I think you need memory, then of course the stronger you are the more you play intuitively, positional soundly, so not too much calculation (capa, Karpov..) and even in some cases of deep calculus, I feel as if the top gm somehow "sees" the variant, "sees" the move, without much calculation (tal, alekhine..) (kasparov instead was 90% calculation, that's why I will never say he was "a better player" than botv, smyslov, Petrosian, Karpov, and tal as well)
@@leonardobaracchi7040 I mean yeah, like I said it is 100% debatable, I'm just saying I definitely see where Alekhine is coming from. But like, by no means do I necessarily disagree with you.
I think there's a thing as "chess memory". You play slow chess a lot it naturally develops because you burn a lot of time looking at positions and calculating. Maybe some people faster than others depending on how good their general memory is, but I think anyone who plays over time gets to this point one way or another. So being a good chess player is not dependent on memory long term, but I think it helps when you're starting out because you develop the "chess memory" faster. But once you get there, remembering lines/ideas at that point almost becomes intuitive.
His voice is so unlike his face. His face is stern and blazing, but his voice is kind, thoughtful, and intelligent.
The way Alekhine grabbed that piece, kind of delicate. ;-)
Like the coward that he was.
His excentricity might have intimidated many at the board; his voice and gestures certainly are revealing!
One of the great minds of chessm
My 2 chess heroes are: A. A. Alekhine and R. J. Fischer. With these 2 geniuses of chess, no compromised outcome guaranteed, they fought hard till the end with beauty and fierce: they possessed noble chess minds, genuine professionals and artists of chess.
I'm impressed with his good English, and the clarity of his explanation, despite his "weird" accent which I didn't expect. For those who don't know Alekhine was a mathematician.
What would your accent be like if you had to speak Russian ? Every foreigner, who learns a foreign language, has an accent in the target language. Yet he can have an excellent command of that language.
His tuxedo photo at 0:13 looks like Jack Nicholson in The Shining's final frames.
I thought exactly the same thing!
thanks Jessica for this.
Genius champion, ultimate Grandmaster!
@TheBackyardProfessor Yes that's definitely Dr. Alekhine, from a BBC radio interview.
There are other recordings of Alekhine's voice, and in them, his voice sounds much deeper.
Uno DE LOS MEJORES DE TODOS LOS TIEMPOS ¡¡¡ALEKHINE!!!
Interesting the way he moves a piece with his pinky out and then puts his hand under his chin.
According to the book chess history Nathaniel divinitsky and svetozar gligoric. Alekhine speaks 7 international languages 🇳🇵☎️
If this was actually Alekhine, it was fascinating to hear him! I love playing through his games.
A good voice for Professor Van Helsing.
Alekhine is better than carlsen could ever hope to be
+Erwin Rommel NEXT TO HIM IS BOBBY FISHER AND BOTH WERE TRAGICAL VICTIMS OF SAME MONSTERS AKA BOLSHEVIKS
No. Аlehin was russian and he hated fashism as all bolsheviks did
He hated it so much he decided to settle down in Germany and spend the war there.
bowrudder You're right. It`s sad=(
bowrudder Alekhine was a consummate pragmatist and did whatever was necessary to achieve his goals.
i;m saudi arab im i love is alexndr alkhin
Everything he says here is absolutely correct.
He's still a coward.
God created Alekhine and declared, " I ordain thee to rule the world of chess!"
"Then run like a coward after winning the championship match against Capablanca"
Capablanca no fue capaz de reunir el dinero para poder jugar contra Alekhine, según sus propias normas de 1922 en Londres. Además durante el transcurso del match quiso cambiar esas reglas (iba perdiendo 3-2 y hubo 9 empates en los que teniendo ventaja en el final no pudo doblegar al ruso), cosa que Alekhine no aceptó. Antes de hablar hay que documentarse y no fantasear con mitos y leyendas.
@@MrSupernova111 My God. You do keep banging on about that don't you. Are you Capablanca's grandson or something?
@@davidcopson5800 . The truth hurts. Doesn't it?
@@MrSupernova111 If the truth is that you are Capablanca's grandson it doesn't hurt one little bit. As your response is cryptic I don't know what you're getting at and so your response is unsatisfactory. My point (obviously) is that you seem to on some warped crusade relating to what you believe to be the situation between Alekhine and Capablanca. Why you feel this way I don't know - hence the sarcasm about you being related to Capablanca. So what the truth hurting has to do with anything I really can't determine. Are you always obtuse and obscure?
@alecksandrkoblents
This is just incredibly interesting to me. I play through his games all the time as I find the time, and it is just soooooo much fun to actually hear his voice.
TheBackyardProfessor Are you gay for Alekhine hahaha :)
RIP. The greatest chess player in history with
The highest achievement “ 74.1%. Giving he lived before 1950, he exceeds Kasparov and Fischer. The older the generation the more talent exist. Kasparov is the modified copy of Alekhine , Karpov is the modified copy of Capablanca.
There was once a story he when losing threw his king so hard it stuck in the wall but now I cannot refind the story.
Against Ernst Grunfeld, first time latter player played the opening named after him... The 2nd day of the game alekhine came back knowing he was in a losing position hoping grunfeld would have sealed a blunder. Upon noticing the right move had been sealed he threw the king across the room. :D fun story
Alekhine cold as ice.
Alekhine will always be remembered like the coward that he was. After winning the title he avoided Capablanca like the plague.
@@MrSupernova111 I investigated that it wasn't that simple.
@@dannygjk . That's how I remember it from my readings. Not only did Alekhine make it difficult for Capablanca to challenge him for the title but he also did everything possible to avoid Capablanca in regular tournament play.
@@MrSupernova111 I also saw many articles over the decades saying the same thing. Then one day maybe a few years ago I found an article with more details on the circumstances involved. The writer had a convincing source from that era and it made sense. It wasn't as simple as Alekhine was merely dodging a rematch.
Well he was a foreigner.
@gilliali35 It's the final movement, In Paradisum, from the Requiem composed by Gabriel Fauré.
ABSOLUTE SPLENDID!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Fantastic!!Brawo,Jessica!
the master MAGICIAN!!!Alekhine and Capa are the BEST EVER!!!no discution!!!
Or even discussion.
I think the question was misunderstood. Alekhine was talking about short term memory - as in during a game do you require this memory? No. But long term memory of remembering thousands of past positions and using them to inform a present position, yes of course. Vision-LongTermMemory working together with present positional requirements.
I think you're right. Certainly Alekhine had a great memory, as most top chess players do. Even I, as just an 1800 player, can remember all the moves of a game I played without recording them at the time, and within a day or two can write them down so the game is belatedly recorded.
I think Morphy is the most innovative player of all time. Most champions after him built on what they learned from him.
Soy un asiduo seguidor de Alekine
Before their Championship match Capablanca said Aljechin knows every high class game played in last 25-30 years and all games of high class players by heart. So it is a bit weird when Aljechin says memory is not so important in chess. Capablanca also said Aljechin has too weak nerves and not enough fighting spirit to beat cold and imaginative player in a long match.
That's why he ran off like a coward.
@@MrSupernova111 Cretin comment!
He said vision is more important than memory in chess.
@@JohnSmith-un9jm . Modern day masters would disagree. Just look at the excessive draws at GM level. They go memorizing their way to GM then refuse to play real chess in favor of memorized garbage that guarantees them a draw.
didn't get to watch it. To much advertising.
While I agree that you need long term memory of remembering thousands of past positions and using them to inform a present position, I think you ALSO need short term memory. As a 1964 USCF rated chess player, I can tell you that it is an important skill to be able to envision future positions that can arise from the current position. Thus, it takes great short term memory to be able to envision and remember those positions.
But you still a patzer. Let us know when you reach GM level.
@@MrSupernova111 I only reached peak rating of 2120 USCF seven years later :'(
@@JBades6310 . Yikes! I was kidding of course and 2120 is a solid rating. But for what its worth I plan to reach NM as an older adult. In 2018 I went from 1000 to 1650 USCF when I stopped playing OTB. This past weekend I played a rapid OTB event (15+5) and won 4 out of 5 games. This was my first OTB event since 2018. Won two games against 2000+ players and lost one to a 2300+ NM. As we stand my USCF rating is still 1650. I'm going to prove that when we get older we don't have to kill over.
@@MrSupernova111 that's awesome!! congrats on such a great rapid performance. I hope you continue to skyrocket and we both reach NM soon enough :)
@@JBades6310 . I appreciate it. Good luck with your chess as well!
I always thought alekhine would have a more deep vampire-like voice for some reason.
Do vampires have deep voices?
Bela Lugosi has deep voice!
@@Atlargein But he was only a film vampire. What about real ones?
SPLENDID!!!!!!!!!
This was actually a radio interview, not a video footage. But Good interview anyways.
Yes, I was about to say that.
@linktruman23 even Fischer said that a guy who doesn't have a gift for chess couldn't become a great chess player. he could be good though. there is a video of this on youtube even. it's an interview with dick cavett and it's called "a very different bobby fischer" iirc. don't disguise your own thoughts by putting them to fischer's mouth.
Fischer seems to be a conundrum. In the tv interview with Johnny Carson shortly after becoming WC he mentions that fitness is important to stay sharp in matches citing the 5 hrs sitting per game. Years later he got lost in his own mind and reverted many things he had said before!?🧐
@esraretin To reach the top in any sport, there are at least 7 elements needed: 1. you must be gifted, 2. as a child and later, you must have a stimulating environment, 3. you must have the occasion (money, time) and 4. the energy to 5. practice and study for hours and hours, 6. you must enjoy what you are doing and 7. you will still need that little bit of luck to get you at the top. But more important than reaching the top is: YOU CAN ENJOY PLAYING THE GUITAR OR A GAME OF CHESS AT ANY LEVEL !
how can a guy play 27 players simultaneously while blindfolded? playing 1 is hard enough. Incredible!
Because he knew the board, new the patterns and as soon as each game had fallen into one of his patterns it was easy to remember. If all the players had played crazily, making up odd openings, Alekhine still would have won most but would have had a harder time remembering.
I consider Alekhine as the greatest chess genius the world has ever seen! I love France and the French for embracing him when he was persecuted by the then Soviet regime!
Let's not forget about the legend jose capablanca
v. gopalakrishnan Paul Morphy
J.R. Capablanca
Alekine
Fischer
Kasparov
Magnus Carlsen
What a load of shit. Alekhine will always be remembered as the coward that he was and how he avoided Capablanca like plague.
EPIC
Sounds like Count Chocula
dose anyone know the music to this
thats really his voice
Does anyone know the music?
Thats lie men a great chess player is made not born all the best chess players were once begginers but due to hard practice they improved.
Each man's innovation is sharply limited by the state of the art in which he innovates. It is a more sweeping innovation, true, but it couldn't have been otherwise and be called an innovation of note because Chess was in a state where just such an innovation was called for. So the question is not who is the better craftsman, but which level of the craft is harder to develop and systematize assuming they had equal strength. Is it really "more difficult" to develop indirect control strategies?
@TheBackyardProfessor it was the old lion alekhine speaking
Some one said before that to be the perfect chess player one should "play like an encyclopedia in the opening, like a magician in the middle-game, and like a machine in the end-game.' Alekhine fits the middle-game description perfectly. Put a Kasparov or Botvinnik in the opening and a Capablanca or Karpov or Carlsen in the end-game and you get the perfect chess player.
Lasker would have cancelled him out with his cigar smoke.
There are lots of things that require both aptitude and hard work. Not every person has the same potential to excel at every task, stating the very reasonable opinion that chess is a game that requires natural aptitude for excellence does not an asshole make.
For example, name one single grandmaster with double digit IQ. Right there is an example of quite a large part of humanity (50%!!) that can't become great players with any amount of love for the game and hard work.
he was killed by a certain ethnic group
I think Alekhine would have accorded the revenge to Capablanca even when it was so difficult for Alekhine to challenge him...
Is he implying there were great chess players born before chess was invented?
Everything is learned.
If your parents played chess, you have a gene that will kickstart you to maybe "500 rating" above any ordinary player at first, but you will still have to learn along with every master and beat them at their game.
1:00 Carlsen would disagree on memory. It has helped Carlsen develop a huge mental database of openings by heart...
Carlsen's opening is his weakest point. He will often get into trouble during openings, and will do his best to avoid theory heavy lines that rely on memory, going instead for positions in which he can rely on his strong intuition, such as simple positions or endgames.
Alekhine was playing before all the reams and reams of theory came along.
magnus carlsen is not a chess player. he's a computer. just a shitty version of stockfish.
To put such emphasis on memorization of variations as a source of chess strength you have revealed that you have no understanding of chess. Even an average club player such as myself knows this is false not only because of the mind boggling permutations possible in chess but because of what strong players say about chess skill.
Dan Kelly lol memorization might not be the vocal point in lower rated games. But in a game with two top GMs, memory is EXTREMLY important. All the top gms (Magnus, Fabiano, wesley etc) know every opening and have memorized every variation. With the use of computers, the top gms can even memorize a 20+ move line thats favorable. Calculation and imagination is still important but at te top level, memorization plays an even bigger part. Thats why a top gm can find himself in a position that would be hard for a beginner, but e would find it easy because he has seen the position millions of time and with the help of a database, memorized the favorable moves. At lower level chess, memory iwnt that important, but at the top level that magnus is at, memorization is VITAL. To suggest otherwise would be foolish and only reason you would disagree, would be that you are referring to lower level chess or you are one of those who just want to motivate players who dont have a strong memory
Is this actually Alekhine talking? He speaks English extremely well.
morphy the most innovative i disagree, id put nimzowitch in that category, i mean the whole hyper- modern movement was about as innovative as it gets / his whole theory on controlling the center from afar instead of placing peices in or near the center gave way to beautiful new openings that 19th century masters never saw,the indian defenses for example, however like capablanca pointed out, it was only the new aplication of the same fundamentals laid down by steinitz. morphy was simply genious
Hi, can anybody confirm that he indeed did not write about his games? I was confused because he kept a chess notebook
He wrote several books containing volumes of his games and matches.
chess is huge practice/training kasparov fisher anand . say that , play play and is not enough
1) Morphy 2)Capablanca (those two barely studied the game, they were 100% naturals) 3) Fischer (worked like hell AND super talented) 4) Kasparov 5) The rest
Fischer over Kasparov?! Hardly.
YESSS! ALYECHIN - THE GREATEST OF ALL - MOVES IN THE REALM OF UNIMAGINABLE. THAT IS WHY RUN AWAY FROM BOLSHEVIK MURDERERS IN RUSSIA BUT GOT KILLED IN LISBON IN HOTEL ROOM WHERE HE LIVED SECLUDED FROM BOLSHEVIK MONSTERS!
fundhund62 kasparov did learn from many of Fischer games. Kasparov started being talented due to Fischers classical games and as you can see, kasparov plays at a very classical way. Fischer is actually regarded as the first classical chess players. After that all grandmaster like carlsen, kasparov etc learned from Fischer.
Kasparov’s a crook who prearranged games, it’s a shame that you put his name among the true geniuses who played chess
@@kozjevime1 Do you have nightmares about BOLSHEVIK MONSTERS?
"That's where chess is just unlike bridge." lol, I don't know what bridge is
A thing over a river or railway line.
Alekhine talks some bullshit here. ofcourse a big part of chess is about having a good memory. Bobby Fisher said numerous times that a big part of chess is about memorization and prearrangements. Alekhine is just not aware of how much theory and memory is part of his game.
i agree totaly with Fisher who wasnt trying to sugarcoat and romanticize chess. sure u look at each game with new eyes, but your routine as a good player relies on memory.
Tiwaking Tiwaking yea, i agree.
The reason why I'm hating chess. Prearranged moves. I agree that we should preserve the original game for history's sake but we should all move forward with Fischer Random.
moor2k yup, that is also my dilemma and hate-love relation with chess. but its ok, since i dont intend to make chess my life.
***** Horse shit. Only weak players think that strong players have memorized a lot of lines. Strong players have developed a feel for the game enabling them to sift through the possibilities more efficiently. Also strong players do not calculate much. They are looking at weak points, where to best place their pieces, how to gain some initiative, and one of the things strong players do that weak players don't:
they look at the position from both sides, trying to see what their opponent should do, that gives them some insight as to what the opponent might do which also reduces the amount of concrete calculation required.
Strong players assess the position and brainstorm ideas and only then calculate necessary lines. Weak players calculate too much and so don't see the forest for the trees.
Dan Kelly
we were talking about Fisher Random. he invented that because the start of the game is a lot of book and memorization.
learn to read and understand what u read before starting to lecture people.
@linktruman23 Fischer himself said you have to be born with the predisposition to be great, and you said yourself that Fischer was naturally talented. Thjat is what Alekhine is saying: you must be born with a natural ability if you want to be great; it will not come from hard work alone. Obviously, he is not saying that to be great you don't have to work hard. To be the best you have to work incessantly, even with natural talent.
On 1.02 tere is a picture of Alekhine dead in hotel in Portugal? very rare!!
I am very lucky to own an original news wire photo of that picture, Alekhine dead in the hotel in Portugal,it was question weather the Germans poisoned him when he ate that last meal,he did die 10 months after the war,Germany wanted to clam Alekhine for Germany, and for him to be buried in Germany! not Russia! It was probably Hitter's last command before he died, to clam the great Alekhine for Germany!
Alekhine's great honor was his great chess opening, the Alekhine defense that will live on forever!
+alessandro ponsiglione NEXT TO HIM IS BOBBY FISHER AND BOTH WERE TRAGICAL VICTIMS OF SAME MONSTERS AKA BOLSHEVIKS
I thought he was sleeping :|
İrony is that both Capa and Alehkine died at 53 and both were Scorpios!
Is the voice in this video supposedly Alekhine's ? It sounds just like the actor Edward Van Sloan, who portrayed Professor Van Helsing in the original Dracula starring Bela Lugosi ? Doesn't sound like a native Russian speaker at all, or even an eastern European ! Rather odd.
Alekhine spoke German. Maybe he's coming at English through that. Some of the sounds were definitely Russian (the rolled r).
Yes, it was Alekhin indeed.
How do you know?
YESSS! ALYECHIN - THE GREATEST OF ALL - MOVES IN THE REALM OF UNIMAGINABLE. THAT IS WHY RUN AWAY FROM BOLSHEVIK MURDERERS IN RUSSIA BUT GOT KILLED IN LISBON IN HOTEL ROOM WHERE HE LIVED SECLUDED FROM BOLSHEVIK
Yani beni😊
Siz vermeyin engellemeyin yeter devir değişti az önce 1000000 genç düşman kazandım😊
Va deme?😱
لا حول ولا قوة الا بالله العلي العظيم
Ben herke her an konuşmYa hazır vaziyetteyim😊
I'm surprised he said you don't need a good memory, I actually really think you do
Id rather believe in one of the best chess players of all time instead of youpo
@@davidskyler1000 'youpo'
Are you GM Joel Benjamin?
0:59 Отравили Алехина, принесли тело в номер гостиницы, уложили в кресло, на столе расставили шахматы - сделали фотоотчёт об убийстве. После войны Алехину устроили еврейский бойкот от игроков и организаторов турниров, кто в основном евреи. Алехина никто не приглашал в турниры и игроки отказывались играть, если допустят Алехина. Алехин оказался без денег. Чтобы не допустить матча с "антисемитом" Алехиным, его убили - отравили, а нам врали, что он сам умер.
Is this Alekhin's voice in fact? How does anyone know for sure? Alekhin [Але́хин] was a Muscovite, and what I hear here is English spoken with an accent that is not Russian: neither vowels, consonants, nor inflexion. Is there another video where one can both see and hear him speaking?
It depends on whether this was before or after he moved to France.
Conrad Jenkings What do you mean by this?
I mean that Alekhine could have taken on a bit of a French accent with his Russian.
Conrad Jenkings OK, but there is absolutely no hint of a French accent either. Listen to the way he trills his r's which is even less French than it is Russian. Also, he was introduced by the interviewer as "Doctor Alik-EEN" That's wrong; it should be Al-YAY-khin. I'm afraid this video is just a hoax.
Conrad Jenkings I have heard this interview before. It is supposed to be a BBC interview. He trills his Rs and sounds Germanic, so I would place the accent as maybe South German, or Austrian, maybe Swiss. Doesn't sound like a Russian.Too clipped, Doesn't have that famous Russian drawl, and the L is too light, not a trace of that dark Slavonic L. As you say, Conrad, he pronounced his name Al-YAY-khin, even though it is quite a common name in Russia, and just about every other Russian pronounces it Al-YO-khin, including one of the Pussy Riot hooligans, who had the surname Alyokhina. I, too, am certain this interview is a fake. But there again, there is some Dutch film footage of Capablanca, where he speaks in English like an Englishman. There is hardly a trace of a foreign accent.
Wasn't Euwe the only guy who beat Alekhine? Euwe was a mathematician.
Many players beat Alekhine. You don't have to be a mathematician to be a good chess player.
@@davidcopson5800 I think he means match play which was Alekhine's forte.
@@jameshogan6142 I think you're right. However, his statement is a tad misleading. Alekhine was a great match player. His loss to Euwe was very narrow indeed, and allegedly due to him drinking and being over confident about his chances of beating Euwe.
@@davidcopson5800Yes Alekhine's play clearly suffered from over consumption of alcohol. At one time he was so inebriated that the ever sporting Euwe suggested that they postpone the game. Alekhine insisted on playing and offered a draw in a losing position which Euwe accepted since it gave him the title by one point.
euwe won holland holland
Alekhine and Capa are the best EVER!!!
I am sorry, I am not a Grandmaster. I shouldnt have never used as my username. Chess players work hard for this title and i just take. My name is Joel, i am not GMJoel B
Alexander Alekhine is Hannibal Lecter !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
00:09 🤔
Funny that Bobby Fischer spent so much time memorizing old matches.
Which is the funny part? Do you think other world champions don't do the same? Capablanca paved the foundation in many ways for future generations. But go on and amuse us.
@@MrSupernova111 You sound like a creep.
Avoided a re-match with Capablanca...............
Capablanca wanted a rematch but was unable to find a sponsor to put up the money because backers thought that Alekhine would win. A wealthy GM named Bogoljubow played him twice in the early i930's because he was able to raise the necessary capital.
Alekhine was just returning the favor because capablanca made excessively high financial demands for anyone to play him for the championship title and that was the reason why Alekhine made capablanca wait. Capablanca's ego was immense and Alekhine made him sit on it. Alekhine was the better player anyway.
sorry but that aint no real game folks no clocks, very casual even down to that epicine pushing of the pinky by Alekhine , that you pushover I can play even THIS
but it makes you wonder if there is any more footage
Aryan and jewish chess !
yes and then dodged him for the remainder of his life, when they met again in a tournament capa destroyed him, this is why alekhine didnt give him a return match, he kissed capablancas ass and talked all nice about him so he would give him a shot and then after he got the title talked behind capas back all the time, yes alekhine at his best was a player of deep imaginative flair, but capa was the better player his style was so effortless he made chess look easy, a battle of titans no doubt
Did Alexander alekhine come from a Jewish ancestry
No. If anything, toward the end of his life he was accused of anti-Semitism, but there are those who disagree. (See the Wikipedia article about him.)
@@bh8642 Anti-Semitism has nothing to do with being a Jew. Bobby Fischer and Hitler were Jews.
@@leodf1 If you think hitler was Jewish, you must have worked hard to descend to what you are today...
I would imagine he would have been Russian Orthodox.
ALEKINE O MELHOR