Game 6 in the book: Simon Alapin–Alekhine, International Tournament at Carlsbad, 1911. A Three Knights' Game (an inverted Lopez) annotated by Alekhine, who plays Black and wins.
3…Bb4This variation (an inverted Lopez) has often been played, with success, by Pillsbury. It seems sufficiently strong to equalize the position.
4…Qe7The most normal continuation is 4. ....Castles; 5. B—K 2, R—K 1; 6. Kt—Q 3, B x Kt; 7. Q P x B, Kt x P; 8. Castles, P—Q 3; with an equal game. However, 4. ....Q—K 2 is equally good.
7…d5This last move is not at all in the spirit of the opening, as it allows White to undouble his Pawns immediately. He should have played 7. ....Castles; 8. Castles, P—Q 3.
9…c6Forced, as 9. ....R—Q 1 would be bad on account of 10. Kt x P!, Q—K 4 (or Q—Q 3; 11. P—Q B 4, etc.) 11. P—Q B 4, P—Q B 3; 12. B—B 4, Q—K 3; 13. B—Kt 4!, P—K B 4; 14. B x P, and if then Q x B; 15. Kt—K 7 ch and the Black Queen is lost. Now White assumes the initiative.
12.Qe2Not 12. R—K 1 because of 12. ....Q—B 4.
13.Re1This pin on the King's file is very troublesome for Black.
13…Qd7After 13. ....Q—B 1; White could by 14. Q—R 5 provoke the weakening 14. ....P—K Kt 3.
14…b5To be able at last to bring out the Q Kt (via R 3).
15.Rad1White has played the opening well, but this is slightly weak, and he loses the positional advantage he has acquired. The text-move appears to be good, as it brings into play a non-developed piece without loss of time. But it allows Black to bring his Q Kt to a more favourable square than Q R 3. The logical sequence would have been: 15. B—Kt 3, Kt—R 3; 16. Q R—Q 1, Q—B 2 (or B 1); 17. Q—R 6 and White has the better game.
17.f3Here White seems to pursue a will-of-the-wisp. The simplest and best plan would have been to try to equalize and to play for a draw, e.g.: 17. P—K Kt 4, B—Kt 3; 18. Kt x B, B P x Kt; 19. B x Kt, R x B; 20. B—Kt 6, R x Q; 21. B x Q, R x R ch; 22. R x R, etc.
18.g4White thinks quite erroneously that Black cannot exchange Bishops without losing a piece.
19…Ne5The soundness of this move rests on the following main variation: 20. Q x Kt, Kt x P ch; 21. K—B 2, Q x Q; 22. B R x Q, K x R; etc. To avoid this losing line of play, White is reduced to a retreating manœuvre which will cost him a Pawn.
21…Qa5This threatens 22. ....Kt x P ch; and so White must submit to the loss of the R P. Against that, however, the Black Queen, after capturing the R P, will momentarily be out of play, which will give White the necessary time to inaugurate a counter-attack.
23.Rde1Now Black is under compulsion to provide against 24. P—Kt 3, winning a piece.
27.Qg2Threatening R x P, as now White's Q B P is covered by the Queen.
28.f4Conscious of his chances, White is wanting in neither energy nor astuteness. Indeed, he has prospects of a draw. Much less strong would have been: 28. R x P, R x R; 29. R x R, Q—R 8; 30. R—K 1, Q—B 3; 31. R—B 1, P—Q R 4; giving Black a clear advantage.
28…e4The only move. If 28. ....P x P; 29. R x R, Kt x R (or R x R; 30. R x R ch, Kt x R; 31. Q x P, etc.) 30. Q x P, Q—R 8; 31. Q—K 6 ch followed by 32. Q x Kt and White wins.
29…Qa1The only way to bring the Queen back into play.
30.Qg3The object of this move is clear; it aims at keeping out the adverse Queen. However, it gives Black the chance of a counter-attack. Better would have been: 30. B—B 4, Q—Q 5 ch; 31. K—R 1 (not 31. K—B 2 because of 31. ....P—K 6; followed by Kt—K 5; and Black has the better game.) Kt—Kt 2; 32. R x P, R x R; 33. Q x R, Q x Q; 34. R x Q, K—B 2, with good prospects of a draw for White in spite of Black's majority of Pawns on the Queen's side.
31…b4The beginning of the final attack. By sacrificing his K P, Black easily brings his Queen into the centre of the Board, where, in co-ordination with the Knight, her action proves deadly, as the White King's position is dangerously exposed by reason of the advance of his Pawns.
32.Bb2Had White played 32. B—Q 2, the sequence would have been the same, with the difference that the Black Knight would have entered via K 4 instead of Kt 4.
35.Re2A trap. If 35. ....Q x Kt P; 36. P x P, Q x P; 37. Q—Q B 3, Q x P ch (or if ....Q x Q; 38. B x Q, with an easy draw); 39. R—Kt 2, Q—Q 8 ch; 40. K—B 2 and White wins.
37…Ng5The entry of the Knight should have decided the game in a few moves.
39.Kf1The only move, for, if 39. K—R 1, Q—Q 4 ch; and if 39. K—Kt 2, Kt—B 5 ch; winning in either case.
40…Qd5Threatening Q—R 8 mate, which can only be prevented by R—K 4.
41…Ng5This move wins ultimately, but the logical sequel to the attack initiated by 31. ....P—Kt 5 would have been 41. ....P—K R 4; 42. Q—B 3 (there evidently is nothing better), R x P ch; 43. P x R, Q x P ch; 44. K—Kt 2, Q x R ch; 45. K x Kt, Q—Kt 5 mate. The text-move allows White to struggle on for some time.
47.g5A desperate venture which only results in the loss of White's King-side Pawns. The trap is as follows: 47. ....Q—Kt 8 ch; 48. Q—K 1, Q x Q ch (or Q x P; 49. Q—K 8 ch, etc.); 49. K x Q, R x P; 50. P—Kt 6, etc.
52.Bxf6Evidently 52. P x P was no better, as the Pawn could not be defended.
55.Kd3or 55. B—B 6, Kt—K 5, etc.
Alexander Alekhine, My Best Games of Chess 1908–1923 (1927) · Public domain · source